


my face above the water, my feet can't touch the ground

by mysticmilks



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Business Trip, But really only a bit of Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2020-07-11 13:40:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 47,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19928956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysticmilks/pseuds/mysticmilks
Summary: The next morning after a crazy party Hux wakes up in an unfamiliar bed with a horrible headache. Right, he is in Crait, on a two-months business trip. But why is he not in his own room, has a ring on his finger and his coworker (and his almost friend) Ren is snoring next to him?





	1. Before Crait

It’s been seven minutes since Hux left his small but beloved apartment, and was standing like an idiot with his huge, unmovable suitcase in front of his building. 06.02 is not the best time to be anywhere outside of the comfort of your own bed, Hux truly believes in that. He was forced to wake an hour ago; his alarm took him away from his shallow, restless sleep, such as he always has the night before flights, exams or important meetings. 

Chill late spring air clings to his skin and wakes him up even more, which is not a desirable state at—Hux checks his phone again suppressing a yawn—06.04. He’s not a morning person, and the jerk he is waiting for, knows that. He needs his tea, he needs a normal breakfast, not that instant healthy mix, an abomination he bought just for days like that when he has neither time nor energy to make a proper one.

He will complain about that to Kylo. He will complain about _all_ of that to Kylo till he begs for mercy, till his brain explodes and he dies when that asshole finally deigns to arrive. 

They agreed to go together to the airport two days ago. It was Hux’s idea, no one else to blame. Hux was the one who opened Slack and found Ren’s avatar, clicked on it, and after twenty more minutes of hesitation and pretending he didn’t have time for that finally wrote: “ _Hi, Ren! It’d be wise to share the taxi. We will save money for the company. We will produce less emissions. And where will be no need to find each other in that maze of a building? What do you think?_ ” Then he deleted the last four sentences. Ren answered almost immediately with _“+”._

Hux thought that way he won’t need to drive himself crazy at the airport when Kylo is running late as he always does. That was the only real reason, and, apparently, it didn’t work.

Five minutes passed and yet — no sign of Kylo. Hux catches himself scrubbing one thumbnail over others, the nasty little habit that indicates his discomfort. Hux berates himself and stops only when his inner voice becomes too similar to his late father’s.

But why shouldn’t he be nervous? If they arrive late, they will need to race through the airport. Hux hates running. He hates being late. He hates when things aren’t exactly as he planned them. That’s why he has a schedule. That’s why the schedule was invented in the first place.

He knows, at the airport, it would get worse. Planes scare him, it’s illogical but true. No matter how many articles he reads about their high safety and extra security, he still doesn't want to be inside them any second longer than absolutely necessary.

Travelling by air he gets wound up, days before the actual day of the flight. So, when he gets to the airport, he is already nervous. Then there is baggage check, then passport control, then traffic — so many things out of his control that could go wrong.

He checks his phone once again.

06.14

He hates that. He should not wait for him. He hates being nervous. He hates checking the time every thirty seconds. 

Not even a text message from his intolerable coworker.

Maybe something has happened. Maybe he should call Kylo. Maybe he overslept. Maybe he forgot his passport at home. Or broke his leg and is locked in his flat. Got in a car accident. Is kidnaped by their rival company stupid indy game development ‘family’, yes they officially call themselves that, the Resistance-Ex-Perience.

It’s his style. Typical Kylo. Highly professional and overly competent senior manager Kylo Ren can be tremendously irresponsible when he is convinced it will slide.

 _Not that Idiot._ That was Hux’s first though when five years ago he had been paired for the project with infamous Kylo. In half a year, at the time of their first release, he hated Kylo with every bit of his soul. He didn’t think he is capable of such strong emotions until he finds out that Kylo oversimplified Hux’s architecture model, to their investors, because “I barely got it. And if I had troubles understanding it, they wouldn’t get shit.” It cost Hux all his mental powers not to hit that arrogant prick in that asymmetrical nonsense Ren is unfortunate to have instead of a normal face. And he’d been working on the presentation of that model for almost a month. Time he can’t get back.

Ren was like that kid, that is a part of every class. The kid who does nothing but interrupts the class with stupid jokes, disrespects everyone's time, doesn’t prepare at all, and passes all tests at least the third-best of the class. Then a teacher berates him, right in front of someone like Hux, the number one student who studied like his life depended on that test. But not for all his antics, no, Mr. Krenik would have said: “Kylo, you are so smart if only you put all that effort in your studies as you put in your … You’re so talented.” That kid jokes and that kid is weird. They have all these nerdish hobbies for which anyone else would be humiliated and bullied, but the kid owns them and is popular no matter what. This kid can come to the Halloween party in the stupidest childish costume, or tell the most embarrassing story, but everyone still wants to be friends with him anyway.

Yes, Kylo was exactly like that, and Hux hated him. And thought about his ‘archnemesis’ all the time. Mostly about Ren’s face when Snoke would finally fire him, or how he would beg Hux to help him get his reputation back. Hux refused him in most of his fantasies.

Kylo didn’t prepare, at least not at Hux’s knowledge, and still crushed every meeting, organized work of the team perfectly and they met all deadlines even though Hux suspected that Ren spent nights in office to achieve that. In that last month before the deadline Hux even spotted him working on Sunday, Hux was there himself to use the office facilities to get his papers for his new apartment, not working. But Ren worked himself to the bone, and they succeeded. 

Then, when Mitaka, their Data Science Engineer, was on the verge of break down, Kylo-I-can’t-be-on-time-Ren, talked with him behind closed doors. Hux still doesn’t know what Ren told him, he only smiles like he stole Mona Lisa from the Louvre, and put there a copy he painted himself every time Hux brings this topic. After that Mitaka took a one week vacation and got back happier than ever. Meanwhile, Ren convinced Snoke to hire an intern Thanisson to help him. And their part of the work was done ahead of schedule, so Mitaka has time to organize a small hackathon to increase morale. It was a huge success!

Ren crashed negotiation with the Resistance, at that time much bigger and without Ex, the next month.

Then he came to Hux to ask for a chance of creating Product Roadmap together.

Then he showed Hux a great bakery, with even better tea. It’s his favorite now if only Hux had time to go there more often.

After the two years when Hux had an opportunity to switch project, he firmly rejected it, not because of Kylo —obviously—but SKB was their child, they designed it from scratch, but Hux would be lying if he said that working with Ren didn’t have its perks.

Their relationship vastly improved from that first meeting in Snoke’s opulent office. In their current situation, Hux won’t call them friends. Only six-years-olds have friends. And it’s not like they spend much time together after work, play D&D or celebrate their birthdays in a small pizzeria, or what else friends are supposed to do. They are just co-workers, very-very productive co-workers. So when they are assigned to a long term business trip to the small European country Crait, Hux is not unhappy. Kylo is simply the best option. At least with Kylo, they will manage to finish the deal quickly and Hux will be home with his cat Milli.

The sound of brakes spooks him. 

Kylo’s taxi has arrived only seventeen minutes after they agreed.

“Was waiting for Rey, Hux,” he says instead of greeting or apologizing when he steps out of the car. “She should have arrived an hour ago, but her alarm was broken, or she forgot to set it, or didn’t hear it. She’s not sure.”

Hux doesn’t voice that he could ask his niece to come earlier or give her keys beforehand. Hux, prepared as a boy scout, gave Millicent and spare keys to Phasma yesterday as a normal person would do.

Kylo yawns and makes an unpleasant sound and before Hux starts to question his story he continues, “I couldn't leave before she arrived. I don’t want my plants to die while we are sunbathing. Now I’m thinking it wasn’t a smart move to ask her to look after my crib. Do you think she will forget to water them if she forgot about the alarm? I’m sure peace lilies will survive. Their leaves fall when they need water. She will notice that. But with a snake plant... It’s so easy to either overdo it or completely forgot about them.”

“You gave a horny nineteen years old college girl who lives in a dorm with two roommates keys of your fancy loft, and you are thinking about plants. Say goodbye to all your overpriced booze and that new pool table you were so proud of.” Hux mocks him purposely, Ren must suffer from making Hux wait.

But Kylo ignores his remark and steps to the pavement to help him.

“Jesus, your suitcase is huge! You can fit a person there.” Kylo says while taking his yellow, marked with small cat stickers, and higher than Hux’s hips suitcase from Hux and easily putting it into the trunk.

Hux doesn’t even think of protesting. His muscles are Hux’s achievement after all. At least partially. Kylo basically lives in the gym, after Hux introduced him to his friend and personal trainer Phasma around three years ago. Not that before Kylo wasn’t impressive, but the newest video with him shirtless and lifting weight on Phasma’s page was... Let’s just say Hux has watched it an embarrassing amount of times. It was tagged “ _my fav student, you should have seen him before he started my program XD #phasmaFit #thiccBody #instasports_ ”.

“What is it in there, Hux? All your earthly possessions?”

“We are leaving for almost two months,” Hux states the obvious.

“To Crait. It’s hot as hell there. You only need a couple of T-shirts, shorts, swimming shorts.”

“You won’t see me in shorts,” Hux answers. To which Ren makes an exaggerated shocked face then gives him a sad smile. 

Finally when they are in a taxi, Hux starts his berating “It’s not a vacation, Ren. I need your full cooperation. It’s work. Let’s review our agenda.”

“Yes, sir, General” Ren teases him, but Hux leads this recurring joke slide because General Hux sounds nice, “You dedicated a time slot for planning a schedule in your schedule. Here, every Sunday from 6 pm to 7 pm. Smart. Who needs their Sundays, when they are living two minutes from the beach.”

“It is smart. We need to be agile, I can plan every outcome, but we can prepare to make changes.”

It’s not his job, he is an IT Architect, not Ren’s personal assistant. He starts writing his own scripts when he was a kid, and in middle school earnt money, by helping neighbours with their devices, then good college with computer science department, and now he is only thirty-four and he has his dream job. But it’s easier to ‘help’ Ren with organizing his time, then suffer the consequences. They go through the timetable, Ren asks to move his meeting with designers to week four and to be present in Hux’s meetings with lead developers, but mostly complies with everything.

The FO-games, the leading company in gaming development, opened the new office on Crait a month ago. Things aren't going as smoothly as Snoke planned, that's why he sends his two top employees there. They are going to spend approximately two months coaching the team and at the same time expanding their European market and getting new customers and investors.

Crait has unprecedentedly lax tax laws and is currently competing for the title of European tech center. Companies from all over the world want to get there, while prices for workforce and property are relatively low and the quality of employees is high due to the influx of developers from Eastern Europe. The weather that is like in paradise and beautiful sea coast also affect that trend. The FO-games needs to eat their piece of that delicious cake before competitors get there.

When they leave the taxi it appears that Kylo indeed has only a small wheeled piece of luggage and a backpack. Everything looks miniature compared with his huge frame, like stolen from a dollhouse or mistakenly bought in the children’s section, his bags aren’t an exception. He looks ridiculous. Or adorable. 

He once again takes Hux’s suitcase. Hux doesn’t suggest to help him, Kylo would refuse anyway, why bother? And Hux has his own briefcase to carry.

After Snoke announces their trip, Hux went to Amazon and ordered everything he needs for comfortable travel: wires organizer; bottles for his shampoo, soap, and creams; small blanket, and more. Packets were coming every day. That prepared he obviously passes all checks quickly. Everything is properly packed, his clothes color-coded in different packages and ready for inspection.

Ren beeps three times. Obviously.

First, this human disaster forgets to put his wallet in a tray. Then his watch. Then his keys. Then his backpack is double-checked because he didn’t put the bottle of lube with other liquids. Hux is the one who wants to cover his face with embarrassment, Ren only smiles, playing with the hair on his nape and say “My bad, officers, still sleeping,”. He has the audacity to turn and wink to Hux when the bottle is put separately on the band and arrives from the scanner as some kind of phallic-shaped trophy slowly appearing from the metal detector.

It’s not a surprise for either of them checking in they find out that Snoke cheaped out, and they are flying in economy class.

Uncomfortable seats. Screaming kids. Already snoring adorable senior couple. Everything points to a glorious start of their glorious time in Crait.

When they are at their seats, they switch so Hux is near the window, and no one will bother him while he rests. Hux is happy to finally breathe out, relax and take out a small bag with his blanket, sleeping mask, inflatable pillow, earplugs, and pills.

"What is on your head?" Kylo asks with fake overexcitement, stressing every word, much louder than it's necessary for people sitting inches apart. Other passangers turn their head to see what is going on.

"It's my mask, Kylo," he says completely unaffected. He won't be a target of juvenile jokes for his desire for comfort.

"I can see that," his tone not that certain though, ''Why does it look like that?'

"What is wrong with it?"

Hux takes the mask off and looks at it as if it's a completely normal mask, not his favorite pink and fluffy one with cat ears and anime eyes — Phasma’s present. It's pleasant to the skin, covers his eyes completely, and, Hux won’t lie, he really likes the design.

"Nothing. It's just cute," Ren says barely hiding his smile.

"Is there a problem, Ren?"

"No, cute General Hux! Don't execute me!"

Hux turn to the window to hide his smirk.

Stupid Ren! They are professionals, they shouldn’t act like that even before they leave New York. 

“Why didn’t you take the pills you were bragging about for hours, your cuteness?” Ren bothers him again when the flight assistant starts telling the safety instructions.

“I’ll take them later. Take off and landing is the most dangerous part of the flight, I need to be awake to comply with instructions in case of an emergency.”

“Hey, are you scared of flying?” He looks Hux in the face.

“No!” Hux answers quicker and more emotional than he planned.

“It’s alright, Hux” Kylo slightly touches his shoulder “You can hold my hand during the take-off if you want.”

And then he puts his hand palm open on the arm rest between them.

“How can it possibly help?” He isn’t even sure Ren isn’t teasing him.

“I’ve read an article about the power of touching. Your brain will interpret it as..”

“Stop,” Hux takes his hand, only to silence him “We both know it’s unscientific nonsense and that it wasn’t an article, it was ‘fun facts’ on facebook.”

“Counts as an article,” he retorts but smiles at Hux and squeezes his hand lightly.

After they reach the proper latitude Hux moves his hand away, takes pills, curl under the blanket and falls asleep, while Kylo is settled to rewatch all episodes of Rick and Morty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters will be short, updates will be regular!
> 
> If you like it, your comments/kudos are always welcome and appreciated!
> 
> Thanks to [@spiteandmalice ](https://twitter.com/spiteandmalice) for beta work!
> 
> This fic is a rework of my twitter-fic inspired by a prompt from [Fru Hallbera ](https://twitter.com/FHallbera) "kylux, fluff, business trip and accidental marriage"
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://mysticmilkshakesublime.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/mystic_milks) don't hesitate to ask me anything  
> And now I have [curiousCat](https://curiouscat.me/mystic_milks) where you can ask me anonymously
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you like this one, you can check my other fics - wip -[drop the curtain, blow out the candles ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17462159)  
> wip -[you are burned up before you know it ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17705078)  
> and finished, moder-au [Up All Night ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18018218/)


	2. Week one

It’d be an understatement to say at the end of their journey they were dead on their feet. It was a disaster. And that’s a mild way to say it. If Hux was crude he’d say it was something that starts with cluster and ends with fuck. The universe saw Hux’s schedule and laughed in his face. They were supposed to arrive on Saturday in the evening, have a brief dinner, relax, then relax, then relax a bit more, rehearse their presentation on Sunday, and be fresh, prepared and ready to conquer the world one team at a time on Monday.

That's not what happened. In reality, they arrive at their rental apartment at 4 pm on Sunday. Instead, of spending a bit more than ten hours on a road they spend thirty-four hours and forty horrible minutes on the road.

It's started with their flight from the US. Due to weather conditions, it was delayed and then redirected to Vienna. Subsequently, they were forced to rebook a flight to Crait and wait for it for around four hours. But, after six hours of waiting, it got canceled due to the storm that followed them from Germany to Austria.

They took a taxi to the city, waited for two more hours and then had a five-hour train journey. Two hours before their estimated arrival they got stopped in the middle of nowhere near a small town with an unpronounceable name. That time they stopped not because of the storm but because of a union strike.

After two hours of nothing, Ren proclaimed that he is hungry and left. He returned in half an hour with two homemade sandwiches. Apparently, there was no cafe on the train, and he was trying to escape in order to buy them anything in the nearby town. The Austrian conductor didn’t speak English, but she threatened to call security and only a group of Romanian tourists saved him and even shared their sandwiches with him. Hux refused to eat them at first, but after one more hour, when Ren didn’t show any signs of sickness, he ate them and they were delicious.

After one hour, they finally were in the Craitian capital’s main station. That makes it thirty hours, give or take. They were meters away from the sliding glass doors that'd bring them the city. Hux already can smell the sea. He saw palm trees, an ancient castle on the hill and—more importantly— the nearest taxi that will bring him to the comfort of a real bed, or sofa, or floor he didn’t care where to sleep at than point as long as it’s not in a sitting position. 

And ... they got stopped by the police for a random check. A series of unnecessary formalities: answering stupid questions, checking their documents, their short-term working permit, checking everything, and Hux wasn't exaggerating, they checked all of their belongings, each and every item. That was the moment when Hux started to suspect that he'd died and he was in hell. That was a more logical explanation for his agnostic self than every disconnected thing could go wrong.

“Welcome to Crait,” they said after four more hours.

He fell asleep in the taxi. Probably. He wasn't sure at that point where nightmarish reality stopped and the nightmare about an eternal road began. Ren guided him to the lift, carrying two of their suitcases, his backpack and Hux’s laptop bag.

Hux was ready for something else to go wrong. The keys could be mismatched, the door could be broken, the flat could be ruined. 

But everything seemed to be fine.

He only partially registered his surroundings. Their apartment was nice, Hux didn’t expect that from Snoke. Big sofa. Kitchen with appliances. Flat-screen on the wall. Two bedrooms and a big living room. It definitely was designed and decorated by a professional, tasteful but a bit worn out. 

Hux didn’t remember much except peeling all of his sweat-stained clothes away and falling into the bed.   
  


* * *

When on Monday morning Hux’s phone starts to play Britney’s Lucky, he wants to throw it in the window and to pretend—maybe for the first time in his career—that he is sick.

Leaving his bed was harder than not eating sweets that one month when they had a bet with Phasma (he lost, but those nine days were horrible). Although, when they left the elevator and cross the threshold of a fancy new all-white office, Hux finally feels in control again. The team is waiting for him, most of them he either interviewed or had a pleasure to work with previously. Young and full of energy they surprise Hux with the level of competence and new ideas they prepared for him. The youngest of them, their Frontend Engineer, is a twenty-one-year-old man named Finn. He dropped out of college and already has two years of experience working in startup companies in Dublin and Berlin. It’s a balm for Hux’s heart to see people who think about the future, both theirs and that of the industry. Not like someone *cough* your little niece, Ren* cough* who care only about partying, drinking and Darwin knows what else in the expensive lofts of their uncles.

The week is productive, a lot of meetings, some are together with Ren, but mostly they spend time with their respective teams. Even when they go together for lunch, they end up in different corners of the table, surrounded by their temporary co-workers.

After 3 pm each day Hux’s feels like he is blinking in the slow motion. His eyes close. Blissful darkness. Blissful darkness for one more second. And one more. Then the real world, light, and colors assault his visual receptors again. He has jet-lag, and it's awful. He even drinks coffee, which he regularly doesn't do, poisoning his body with its toxic energy. He even adds sugar. Four spoons. And he cancels any evening meetings, including meetings with Kylo.

Both Ren and he come home and go straight to bed, too tired to even speak. And when they wake up in the middle of the night, that is the time when his sleeping pills save them.

Ren suggests to smoke weed, but Hux firmly disagrees—he is not a college kid, they are at work, and pills are more effective — Take pills, Ren. We'll talk about your crazy lifestyle when I’m awake.

On Thursday near the coffee machine, a young woman comes to Hux. She's their infrastructure manager, their personal savior, and volunteers in a nearby animal shelter, and her name is Rose. And she shows him her dark side — she is a talker. She tells her full life story in 3 minutes while Hux waits for the water to boil. She’s 24 years old. She was born in South Korea. But one of her grandpapas is still in the North. Tragedy. Her family moved to New Zealand when she was four. Hux tunes her out when she was telling him about her ballet classes in middle school. His attention is back when Rose tells him that the team organized the biggest surprise for Kylo and him in the history of surprises.

No-no-no, Hux won’t let himself be dragged to any party or any other kind of social gathering. No! He’ll stay home and sleep.

* * *

"You have to go, it's part of our job here," Ren brings Hux back from his nap in one of the meeting rooms.

He looks at Ren, who is dressed as he promised in shorts and a silly t-shirt that says “LET'S GET ONE THING STRAIGHT, I'M NOT“. Hux sighs. He knows that. If it was only about the team, he’d reject the invite but their potential investors from Russia will be there too.

He read forums about business with Russians before their trip. That stereotype seems to be true even for tech community — Russians love to drink and party. Rejecting an invitation is considered a huge sign of disrespect and will impact the business relationship. There also was a discussion about Russian sauna —ban'ya— where everyone is naked and attempt to drink as much vodka as they can. Hux was terrified, but a quick google search has shown that the whole capital of Crait —Crvengrad—didn't have any such sauna institution, and Hux is safe.

"We've already made a presentation with all the key features of our engine. If comrade Naumov and comrade Zayzeva want to party, they can do it in Moscow," Hux tries to save himself from the party one more time.

"First, don't call them that, it's very offensive. Second, have you seen Moscow prices? It's cheaper to fly here than to have quality time there. And thirdly, our partners from Hungary also will join us."

They are alone in their fresh and futuristic open space, all of the rest of the team has already started drinking in the lounge zone.

Hux closes his laptop and puts it into a lockable drawer. It's highly doubtful they will actually  do  any work there. More likely they'll drink and call each other friend and brother in different languages.

"Come on," Ren urges him to move "We can leave, as soon as they are properly drunk.”

Hux left his New York apartment. He left his baby Millie. He left his yoga classes, which he'd promised himself to attend at least two times per week, but failed badly. And he left his office, which looks much more like a proper working space, compares it to this one with a ping-pong table, a relaxation zone with cushions, and a roof-top patio. And the reason for that is the Craitian Prime Minister.

Jossip Dvorjak, nicknamed DJ, became a world sensation when he came to power more than seven years ago. Back then he was only thirty-eight years old. He wore  c lothes that would suit the club more than official debates. He never held an office before, previously having worked across the globe from freelance journalist in the US and Canada to receptionist in a youth hostel in Australia.

No one expected him to win. He won the election with the slightest gap, which some thought had been a mistake in calculations. Everyone predicted his fast and disgraceful failure, the most pessimistic and acid analytics said that the youngest, and smallest Balkan country would be bankrupt within a year, or even that Crait, and DJ personally, would destabilize the whole region and cause the next war.

Neither happened. His controversial reforms brought wealth and prosperity to Crait's slightly less than three million citizens. His first term was a huge success. His face was on the cover of the most prestigious journals. 

Today Crait has ridiculously low taxes for innovative companies. To start a business there is easy. Money keeps coming into the country.

DJ knows he can't keep taxes low forever. That's why the government invests in tourism infrastructure.

Crait is a beautiful country. Many come to see it's beaches, blue lagoons, and mountains. But its neighbors have the same, therefore Crait created a zone exclusively for parties - 'Freedom Island'.

It's the small territory 17 kilometers east from Crvengrad. Everything is legal in the 'Freedom Island'. Drugs. Alcohol. Sex work. ‘Freedom Island’, that is actually a peninsula, has casinos, strip clubs, sex dungeons, brothels, pride flags everywhere.

Rules are strict. All entrance and exits are monitored. Security is stricter than at the airport.

Crowds of drunk and horny people, nothing interesting for a person like Hux.

Hux is still grumpy when Ren brings him some fancy local craft beer, give it to him and clinks to it with his own.

"To the successful future of our mission, general," Ren leans into his ear because the lounge is noisy.

"To the quick and positive results, Ren."

The music is overwhelming, the room is too loud, the beer has a strange taste of chocolate and honey, but it grows on him.

Three of their colleagues are playing, and pretty decently, a Playstation dancing game while the crowd is cheering. Hux thought most of the team was quite introverts like him, but everything shows he was wrong.

The Hungarians are already there and the Russians arrive half an hour later when most of the company is already tipsy. Olena Zayzeva and Andrey Naumov rented the tackiest car Hux has ever seen —a white Hummer limousine. They continue to drink on their way to the 'Freedom Island'. Hux tries to stay away from it but Andrey hugs him and he demands to drink with them as a token of respect.

Clubs are blending into one another. All styles of music mix into a cacophony. People dressed in everything from gowns and suits to feathers and leather surround them. Their group splits and finds each other multiple times. Then they go to the casino, where, to Hux's horror, Rose makes out with Finn. How they are planning to continue working together? Someone is trying to climb the stripper pole. Someone else screams at a security guard to challenge them to steal chips from the table. They all will regret it tomorrow.   
  


* * *

When Hux opens his eyes, he doesn’t know where he is or how he got there.

Oh yes, it’s Crait.

He is in Crait, and that he’s in their apartment. The room is familiar, the same blue and white like everything else in their apartment. But he doesn’t remember a huge mirror in the corner, and this wardrobe is much smaller than it was yesterday.

His head hurts, he needs to visit a bathroom and, ideally, find some painkillers. But he doesn’t move, not taking his gaze from the wardrobe and begging it to become its normal size again.

Hux makes an effort to concentrate, and that’s a mistake. He remembers the last night vaguely, and what he does remember doesn’t bring solace.

After the second club he can recollect only glimpses: they were doing colorful shorts, someone gave him a cigarette, but it tasted funny, a familiar voice whispered, “Hux, maybe you should slow down?”, he was kissing someone, then a ride in a car, where someone’s hands were roaming all over his body, someone picked him up and brought inside an apartment, probably his, but maybe they all look the same in Crait.

He knows that someone, that person from the taxi, is sleeping near him. He can hear their breathing.

He hasn’t been in a situation like that, since...actually ever. Even when he was in college he always remembered with whom he was with the night before.

He counts to ten. Then again. Then around his third try, he musters the courage to turn around and finally see who is his mysterious stranger.

Now he wishes it was a stranger, some creep who doesn’t speak English, someone he could kick away and pretend that nothing has happened.

Not with his luck. On the other side of the bed sprawls his co-worker and his current roommate Kylo-oh-no-that-can’t-be-true-Ren.

It all makes sense now. It’s Kylo’s room. And it’s Kylo’s bed. If he didn’t have the most horrible hangover in his recent memory Hux would berate himself for not guessing that earlier. Who else could pick him up that easily, and bring him here?

Hux leans his back against the headboard and brings his knees to his chest. His head is ringing with every movement. He feels dizzy and nauseous.

Hux looks around and sees his polo-shirt lying haphazardly on the floor, and for an unexplained reason a small basin. But his pants are still on and fastened.

  
Maybe nothing has happened? Maybe he could leave now, go to his room, and if Kylo will be insane enough to mention it Hux can act like he has no idea what he is talking about?

He quietly moves to sneak away when he notices a ring on a finger of his left hand. It looks cheap, tacky and can’t mean anything good. He is not an expert in stupid situations after a particularly crazy night, but that sign is pretty clear.

“Kylo,” he lightly touches the sleeping man with one finger “Kylo, wake up.”

“Mhhh,” is all Hux hears in return.

“Wake up,” Hux raises his voice and applies more pressure to Kylo’s shoulder “We need to talk!”

“Shhh. Head. Hurts,” he whines “Go to sleep. Talk later.”

“Now! You will open your eyes and talk with me now!” the sound of his own voice is like a nail hammered into his skull.

“What?” Ren opens his eyes and scowls either because of the light from the window or because of Hux.

“What is this?” Hux tries to sound as neutral as he can, and shows him his ring finger. “Do you … Do you have one?”

Ren yawns, squeezes his face as if he was in pain, covers it with his hands, and yes, he has the exact same ring.

“Fuck!” the crude word escapes Hux mouth before he manages to stop it.

“What happened last night?” Hux asks when Ren doesn’t answer, or show his face after what feels like minutes.

“We drank.”

“And?”

“Drank more.”

“Ren, cut that out! Do you know why we have rings?”

“I have a solid guess.”

“Yeah, me too,” he barks. He shouldn't be irritated, but he doesn’t have much choice. Either that, or he’ll panic. “What do you remember?”

“What do you?” and when Ren finally looks at him, his expressive face looks sad.

“Not much,” Hux confesses. “I think I smoked something.”

“Yes, you shouldn’t mix some shady weed, with tequila shots and the sleeping pills we were eating like candies for the last week,” he sounds like somehow all of that is Hux’s fault. Maybe he is right, but it’s not helpful.

“Do you remember this?” Hux waves his left hand in front of Kylo’s face.

To that Ren sighs “I remember… something. And why should I tell you?” his voice is low and accusing “I was at the same party as you!”

He breathes shallow and quick, and that’s the reason why Hux finally notices his bare chest. In any other situation, he would appreciate solid pectorals, but now all he can concentrate on are the marks there. That’s all so wrong. Are people over twenty-five even allowed to have hickeys?

_ If he doesn’t remember leaving them, what else doesn't Hux remember? _

The sudden panic threatens to overwhelm him.

“Did we..?” it’s all he can manage to ask.

“If we did it, believe me, you would remember,” Ren does sound angry but not very convincing.

Hux can come with  _ a lot of things  _ that they could have done that won’t leave any traces. 

That’s the moment when he can’t hold it any longer. He falls on his back, covers his whole head with the pillow, and mumbles a string of ‘no’, ‘fuck’. The word ‘friend’ pops in his mind, and he wants to shelter himself from the world with that stupid pillow like a child who hides his legs under the blanket so monsters can’t eat them.

“Hey, Hux,” a hand lays on Hux’s arm “I promise you nothing has happened.”

“You don’t know.”

“I do. We both have our pants on. We both were, mildly speaking, wasted. We simply could not do that, then clean ourselves, then put our pants on, and fall asleep here,” to which Hux makes one more sound into the pillow somewhere between sob and scream.

“Don’t hide there. Come here,” his voice is leveled now, he speaks like Hux is a frightened animal or a small child. ''Look at me,  _ please _ ”

Something in his tone makes Hux put  the pillow beside him and move his gaze to Ren’s face.

“Armie,” he says softly with a small smile “Armie, I  _ would _ remember. We shouldn’t have done anything in that state, but I promise you we kept it PG-13.”

Ren slowly brings his hand to Hux’s. It’s exactly like someone would try to touch Bambi: cautiously, checking his face, almost not breathing. When Hux doesn’t move away, Ren takes his hands and starts brushing them with his thumbs. Hux thinks how unexpectedly gentle and soft they are. He feels better. Maybe Ren was right and touching helps to soothe him?

“How about we clean up, put fresh clothes on and meet in the kitchen in 5 minutes?” he still speaks with that weirdly gentle voice, and Hux has nothing else left to do but nod.

“Hux,” Ren calls for him when he is already near the door with his polo in his hands “Five minutes. I’ll come to your room if you are not there in five minutes.”

Hux barely stops himself from rolling his eyes but he comes to the kitchen on time. Ren is already waiting for him. His hair is wet and he looks tired but other that, totally fine. He even wears another t-shirt that says “I woke up like this”.

“So?” Ren says and gives him a glass of water.

“So? What should we do? Is that," Hux shows him the ring that he took off "even real or some kind of party joke?”

Ren puts his head on his arms and says while looking at the table “It’s real. I googled it. Then I found this,” he brings his gaze up to Hux and shows him a crumpled pink piece of paper.

It’s bilingual: in Craitian and in English. It’s all there: their names, signatures, yesterday’s date, stamps.

Hux feels a new wave of anxiety.

“Can we annul it?”

“I think so,” Ren probably guessed his feelings, because when he continues he applies that soothing tone again “It’s gonna be okay. I’ll take care of it.”

“You will?”

“Yes. Today everything is closed. I’ll google more and go there tomorrow. I promise I’ll fix it.”

“What if someone finds out? What if our investors find out? It’s a disgrace, to get that drunk, and … and do that.” 

“So what?” Ren gives him a smile. It’s broad and compelling. “Don’t be silly. Com’ here.”

Hux makes a couple of unsure steps and stops in front of Ren.

Ren crooks his fingers and beckons him to come closer. When there are only inches between them Ren invites him to give him his hands. Hux obeys, anticipating what will come next. Ren takes Hux’s hands in his, the second time that day, and caress them like he did the first time. Hux isn’t a person who likes when people touch him, but he surprisingly enjoys it coming from Kylo.

“Hux, if you don’t remember the Head of the European department of FO-Games Maz was dancing on the table. Andrey was throwing up near a dumpster. It’s okay. And Finn came to me and screamed that we should ban water in the office and leave only beer. Everyone was wasted. And we are in Europe. Our prude ancestors moved to the New World to run away from crazy European sex. Two drunk people getting married will shock no one here.”

“I don’t know,” it’s hard to concentrate when Ren’s hand are that warm and pleasant.

“I do. What are you afraid of?”

“That they will think I’m a person who makes stupid impulsive decisions.”

“That’s your problem? Here is your solution — if they find out, we will just say that we planned it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“We’ll say that we planned to get married anyway.”

“Don't be silly, Ren.”

“You think? We work together. We leave together. What is so silly?”

“We don’t act like a couple. At all.”

“Let’s start.”

Hux raises his eyebrows in lieu of answering.

“Let’s behave more like husbands. I don’t...”

“You are kidding! Do you want to kiss in the office?”

"No, not kissing in front of them, HUX! We are serious people, no one expects us to coo at each other in the meeting room...Let’s just have lunch, or go sightseeing on the weekend together.”

Hux is silent.

“So? What do you think?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crait is a fictional small country somewhere between Italy and Croatia. Its capital is Crvengrad, which means Red city.
> 
> Chapters will be short, updates will be regular!
> 
> If you like it, your comments/kudos are always welcomed and appreciated!
> 
> Thanks to [@spiteandmalice ](https://twitter.com/spiteandmalice) for beta work!
> 
> This fic is a rework of my twitter-fic inspired by a prompt from [Fru Hallbera ](https://twitter.com/FHallbera) "kylux, fluff, business trip and accidental marriage"
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://mysticmilkshakesublime.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/mystic_milks) don't hesitate to ask me anything  
> And now I have [curiousCat](https://curiouscat.me/mystic_milks) where you can ask me anonymously
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you like this one, you can check my other fics - wip -[drop the curtain, blow out the candles ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17462159)  
> wip -[you are burned up before you know it ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17705078)  
> and finished, moder-au [Up All Night ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18018218/)


	3. Week two

“So?” Ren almost whispers and looks at Hux for the first time during his monologue.

They managed to clear their lunchtime on Monday, bought two wraps and went to a small park with pine trees near the harbor. No one from the company would bother them or overhear their conversation, which was exactly what Hux wanted.

After not being able to summon any answer for Kylo and being threateningly close to starting hyperventilating again, Hux said he needed time. He spent the rest of the Saturday and Sunday hiding in his room weighing the pros and cons of Ren’s suggestion. When he eventually got hungry, he slightly opened the door to the living room and checked that Ren was nowhere to be seen, before dashing for the exit like he was an inexperienced burglar. On Monday morning, he left the apartment as soon as Kylo went out to do his gym routine.

Hux knew he was acting childish and he couldn’t hide from Kylo forever, but he was willing to try. 

Truth be told, he really,  _ really _ doesn’t want to act like a couple with Kylo, doesn’t want to cross that line after which everything will change. Hux can’t explain why, but deep down he knows, every second that they’ll fake it, will be a countdown to the threshold: maybe Hux will find treasure there, but more probably the unknown will swallow him, leaving an empty shell of his previous self, with a broken heart, a failed project and awkward glances to each other in the rare meetings in the office.

But when Ren caught him in the office and asked Hux to have lunch outside, Hux couldn’t continue avoiding him and was compelled to agree.

“Hux?” Ren repeats when Hux doesn’t answer.

What Ren just told him, made the situation much worse than they initially assumed.

It’s all wrong. Unconcerned and liberal in every other way, Crait has weird laws for so-called ‘“Marriages of Passion”. Obviously, neither of them knew that when they signed papers in their state of drunk madness, but, according to Ren’s investigation, if you got married in the ‘Freedom Island’ you can’t just cancel it. You have two options: you can go to the High Court and get a public divorce and pay a fee of a bit more than a hundred euro or you can wait for seven weeks and do it discreetly and for free. It’s a tourist trap, he said to Hux, most people will pay, because they don’t have time to deal with it and will want to forget as soon as possible.

“We can’t risk our co-workers to find out about this ‘situation’,” Hux finally says. He didn’t even finish half of his wrap, and his tea is intact — the ‘situation’ killed his appetite.

“You want to wait,” Ren says, intonation somewhere between statement and question. 

“Can we ignore it?” he sighs and when Ren stares at his eyes for what seems to be inappropriately long, Hux looks away and continues. “Just pretend it hasn’t happened? What legal weight has this … this nonsense piece of paper and ceremony even have?”

“Crait is a part of the EU. The US recognizes EU marriages. If you want I can ask my lawyer to look at it. We can divorce in New York.”

“No,” Hux says firmly. The fewer people know about his disgrace the better. “Let’s do this.”

“What?”

“Let’s wait. These seven weeks are almost the duration of our stay here. And we can pretend to be low key in the meantime,” it pains him to say that, but if Hux puts his feelings aside that is the best option.

“Really?” there is something in Kylo’s voice. Surprise? Disbelief?

“Yes. But nothing juvenile. We should act as two grown-ups and coworkers, who can pass as a believable couple if someone finds out.”

“Okay,” Ren slides closer on the bench and gives his hand to shake.

Hux shakes it. His hand is as soft and warm as Hux remembers.

“And Hux?” Ren’s voice sounds soft, almost as soft as it was when they talked that morning after the party. Their hands are still connected, both squeezing lightly, “Promise me you will say if you feel uncomfortable with anything?”

Of course, he will. Hux is not a blushing shy boy. He is an experienced man, a professional and he’s known Ren for years. He can voice everything that bothers him. But Hux only nods. He doesn’t trust his voice to sound normal and doesn’t want to give Ren any silly ideas.  
  


* * *

It’s Thursday and Hux doesn’t understand what is going on.

He is eating freshly baked Bučnica—a traditional pumpkin strudel made with cottage cheese and sour cream, rolled in soft pastry—with the tastiest strawberries he has ever tried, and drinking his favorite green tea —where Ren has even found it here— when the exact thought appears in his head like a ticker during the weather forecast. “BREAKING NEWS: It's time to panic.” Armitage Hux doesn’t know what is going on here. Completely and utterly. But he appears to be fine. But he doesn’t hyperventilate or want to creep under the blanket and stay there until Snoke flies his ancient body here to fire his best employee. For some reasons Hux is calm and enjoying himself. And that’s what bothers him.

And, if Hux thinks about it, he has every reason to be alarmed. It’s the third morning in a row that starts with Kylo bringing breakfast for them to their shared living room: baked goods, delicious fruits, coffee for himself and tea for Hux.

The first time he did that was on Tuesday. Hux assumed that he is ashamed for what happened on Friday or feels sorry for bringing bad news on Monday. He was the one who insisted to ‘party hard’; he was, most likely, the one, who spotted the place with their stupid marriage ceremonies; and he was the one who left ugly marks on Hux’s neck. So, yes, Hux thought, it’s Ren’s fault and it’s good that he understands that and tries to be nice to Hux. Anyway, Hux didn’t think much of Ren’s motives too occupied with delicious food. Hux used all his willpower to stop from licking the sweet powder from his fingers that’s how tasty this heavenly combination of subtle flavors, flaky dough and sweetness was. Oh Crait, why are your sweets much better than the lump of dough that tastes of nothing but sugar they call croissants around the corner from Hux’s NYC apartment?

Yesterday he just gave Ren a stiff smile, when breakfast was waiting for him at the table just as the day before.

But today … today Hux emerged from his room only to see Ren in nothing but a towel on his hips, with wet hair and humming a happy tune while putting everything from the paper bag onto the table.

Hux got distracted by the view and it took him a couple of minutes and one and a half Bučnica to realize how abnormal the situation was.

Ren must have seen the unspoken question written with billboard-size letters right across Hux’s face because he stops telling a story about the origin of the recipe for the pastries and looks Hux in the eyes. 

"I went for mine. It would be strange if I don't bring it to my hubby," he explains with his charming smile, that can make anyone's knees weak.

_ Yes, but no one is spying on us, or are they? -—  _ stays unsaid. Hux only hums with his mouth full.

“I’m waking up for the gym. And the bakery in our building,” he says again before Hux voices his doubts. The smile disappears from Ren’s lips for a brief second only to come back even wider “It’s not a big deal. We need to enjoy all of this. While we are here.”

“Of course,” it’s totally reasonable. Any other friend or coworker would do the same. They would, right? But Hux doesn’t argue anyway. If Ren wants to pretend he is a good husband it’s his right. At least the cheap ring, crumpled piece of paper with their names and signatures in Hux’s drawer and the Craitian government thinks so.

It’s even more reasonable when Ren comes to him right after their 2 o’clock meeting that day and suggests discussing the details of the upcoming negotiations in a small restaurant halfway to their house, with Mediterranean cuisine and panoramic sea-view.

“We need to set up the plan. It’s in your schedule. Look it’s until 8 pm. I easily become hangry if I don’t eat for eight hours since our lunch.”

“I know,” says Hux. Of course, he does, everyone who knows Kylo knows he likes to eat, train, and hates being anywhere on time.

“So, let’s just move the meeting where food normally is,” he uses that smile again, and Hux agrees feeling like a person who was tricked by a street magician — his wallet has been taken, but he smiles back because the con artist did guess his card right.

Hux doesn’t hate the restaurant.

He doesn’t hate it when the negotiations are long forgotten, and when they argue should the egg be whipped into carbonara or leave the egg untouched.

He doesn’t hate it when the waiter asks what they want to drink and Hux picks a bottle of white wine, and Ren makes a surprised chuckle.

Then they walk along the beach back to their apartment. Hux doesn’t hate it either.

And Hux doesn’t know why he starts to tell Kylo a story about his childhood in Ireland, that they lived near the coast, and his mom swam there every morning even in winter, before her illness. But it feels right.

There’s something unreal about the soothing sound of waves, hot air, sea spray on his face, sand under his shoes, Ren’s bare feet, music from the nearby cafes, the feeling of their arms slightly touching, a feeling that should not be exciting and intoxicating, but somehow is.

And the most unreal part is Hux’s inability to steer their conversation back to work, to talk more about new hires, what parts they should implement on the side, and what’d be better to outsource or buy a ready-made solution. Hux’s done that countless time in New York when Ren tried to complain about what his niece had done that time or about plot holes in the recent blockbuster.

But today, when Ren tells him that Rey sends him photos of his plants every day, all Hux can do is to tease him about his occupation with his green friends and total oblivion of the fact that she has definitely turned his loft into a sex-dungeon/bar/Airbnb and if Kylo looks at his walls in ultraviolet light it’ll look like the biggest and the most disgusting Pollack painting.

Hux isn't even surprised when on Friday evening, right after their first glass of wine, Ren says:

“I bought tickets to go to the Alps tomorrow.”

“Good for you,” Hux thought they would prepare for the meetings with investors, but they can move it to Monday. After all, It’s a weekend, he isn’t Ren’s boss to tell him what to do.

“Two tickets, Hux.” Ren sounds amused.

“Okay,” Hux mumbles. He can probably argue that it’s unethical to spend a weekend with someone else while they are married, but Ren is a free man, and can meet whoever he wants. “Have a great time there.”

“Hey. Don’t dismiss me. I want to bring  _ you _ with me.”

“Why?”

“Dunno. How about,” he starts to count on his fingers, “It’s only a day trip. If I don't bring you with me I know you’ll work for the whole day. I want to see the Alps. I’ve never been there. And, I bet, you too. I don’t want to go alone. And, if the previous ten million reasons didn’t convince you, you are my husband for seven more weeks, and I’m not afraid to use my husband's rights to spend time with you.”

_ No! No Ren, we should not spend time together. That wasn’t the deal. This won’t end well. No. _

“Say, yes. Don’t make me lie to you, and say that trips to the Alps are part of their wedding traditions. Although it could be true,” and Kylo uses that I-can-take -whatever-I-want smile once again. “And wear comfortable shoes.”  
  


* * *

On Saturday Ren waits for him in the living room with a drowsy smile. He wears a high bun, shorts, black t-shirt “I won’t quit but I will cuss the whole time” with logo of Phasma’s High-Intensity Program, silly hiking sandals, which on any other person would make them look like a grandparent from Florida on a fishing trip, but Kylo still can be put on the cover of the magazine. Apparently, he can be on time, when he doesn’t need to leave his apartment.

“Rise and shine,” he greets Hux “I ordered Uber. It’ll be here in ...” he looks at his phone, new fancy and unnecessarily big, a perfect match for his hands “... fuck, it’s here. Let’s move.”

Hux doesn’t even have the strength to protest when Ren puts a hand on his back and gently pushes him toward the exit.

“It’s a fast train. Only a three hours trip.”

“Like the last time?” Hux mumbles. He is not trying to be an ass, it’s simply too early, and it’s his constitutional right to be grumpy.

“No,” Ren answers with an unexpectedly serious tone. “I’ve checked everything. Weather is good. No strikes. No line maintenance. We’ll be there at 10.48 am. I promise.”

“Yeah, right,” but Hux says it like he doesn’t believe that it would be fine. At least, he can gloat, when Ren fails.

It’s easy to fall asleep on the train. It’s quiet there; they are almost alone and Ren doesn’t express a notion to talk. The view is monotonous and, strangely, Hux doesn’t feel a need to be nervous: it’s Ren’s trip, Hux can relinquish all control for the next hour and relax.

When Hux wakes up, he feels that he is leaning against something warm. Due to some instinct Hux didn't know he had, he leans closer and rubs his cheek against it. There, with his eyes still closed he realizes that he is laying against Ren’s shoulder. Not the most comfortable position, his neck is sore but doesn’t rush to move. It’s not normal to use Ren as a pillow, but he smells so good that Hux indulges himself with a couple of moments of just staying there, breathing and feeling safe.

“Hey, Hux,” Ren’s voice is barely audible.

He opens his eyes, and Ren gestures for him to look at the window.

The view is majestic: mountains, green fields, a small lake, and blue sky. So beautiful that Hux can’t believe it. But when he moves his head up and catches Ren's soft smile, the scenery is forgotten. Hux doesn't know how Ren is doing that, but his smile is mesmerizing. 

“What?” Hux breaks the silence.

“Nothing,” Ren says, but he continues smiling and looking at Hux who is still half sprawling on him.

“What?” for some reason Hux wants to know the answer.

“Where is your cute mask?”

“It’s in my travel bag in my room,” Hux smiles too. He can’t stop himself, Ren’s smile is contagious. “I didn’t take my travel stuff with me today. You told me it’s a short ride. Or I wouldn’t be using you for my neck support.”

“You can use me when you want.”

Not what Hux expected to hear. Not what Hux want to decipher. Too many questions. Why does he sound like that? Why does Kylo look at him like that? Or why can’t Hux himself stop thinking about him and that night he can’t remember? He wants to relax, just for one day, so he closes his eyes, and gets even more comfortable.

Shortly they arrived at a small town. Hux sees the same mountains, more trees, one cafe on the other side of the road and a dozen small houses. It all looks like a postcard. But there's nothing to do here, and Hux wonders why Ren told him that they won't arrive home until the evening, it's only 10 am. 

"Over there," Ren shows him a pole with a metal plate with the number '603' on it.

"What?"

"A bus stop," Ren, who's already started moving over there, turning to look at Hux.

"And why do I need to go there?" Hux asks still staying in the same spot and crossing his arms over his chest. "You didn't tell me anything about the bus."

"It'll take us only twenty minutes. You don't want to go up there on foot, right?"

"Where?"

"There," Ren points toward a dot somewhere on the nearest mountain.

It's obvious that Ren played him, and won't say more than the bare minimum. Hux has two options: play along, or wait an hour and a half for the next train.

"You won't regret it," says Ren, when they take their seat on the bus. Hux doubts that, but not for the reasons Ren might think.

If Hux thought that view was great before then, now when they ascend higher, it gets even more glorious.

“Told you,” Ren whisper into his ear, almost touching it with his lips. Hux’s breath hitches and he stays silent.

The bus stops. They are so high now that Hux can see clouds floating under them. It's nice but there's not much to look at there: the same mountains, parking lot and a road to the top. Ren takes his hand and urges Hux to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Hux asks. He wants to sound as if he is irritated but he is actually excited.

"There," Ren shows at the three storey building around five minutes from them up the hill.

Okay, if Ren wants to make it a surprise, Hux'll let him, but it better be good.

He's disappointed almost immediately. That building combines in itself a restaurant, a shop with hiking equipment and basic food, and a hotel- that's it. Nothing special or thrilling about it.

"Why are we here, Ren?"

"To eat," he winks at Hux "They have incredible... What is this place? Italian? ... So, incredible pizza."

They don't have pizza, but the ravioli that Hux ordered was decent and he even manages to find his peace with Ren's strange idea to have lunch almost four hours away from their home. Maybe the man is, mildly phrasing, peculiar, but they are having a good time.

"I found a relatively easy hiking road," Ren announces without preamble "It’s only three and a half hours long, four tops."

"Even if I believe that you are crazy enough to believe that you will be able to convince me to do that, which—for the record—you won't, we do not have any equipment. Are you planning to appear in the evening local news 'Two inexperienced American tourists got lost, broke every bone and got eaten by wolves'"

"First. There are no wolves here. Secondly. I'm experienced. I told you that was into hiking at uni," yes, he did, but Hux forgot about that "And we do have the equipment. Two packed backpacks are waiting for us. It's a four-hours road suitable for old people and kids," he points with his fork to the nearby table where indeed two old ladies with a preteen boy are sitting, "but we have everything for the real hike. I promise you, I've planned everything."

"How did you manage to get backpacks?" it's all that Hux can ask.

"They were very helpful," he doesn't look at Hux, and the tips of his ears are slightly red "I called them and they even bought protein bars and water for us."

It’s too late to go back, although he should. That'd show Ren that he is not in charge here, and he can’t make decisions without consulting with Hux first. But the road back would be boring, who knows when the next bus would come, they came this far already, and he doesn’t want Ren to think he is afraid of a little workout, or height, or getting lost, or wild animals and nature in general.

It’s not a little workout. Whatever 'relatively easy’ means in Ren’s language is not the same as the others, normal people, mean.

If not for Ren, Hux'd stopped an hour ago, but instead of mocking him, Ren actually motives him and tells him a lot of stories about the hiking tours of his youth. It's hard to imagine Ren much skinner, with short hair, and his big adorable ears, singing pop songs near the bonfire or running away from home just to join his crush, a boy from senior year, and his friends on the ill-advised road trip in an old Volkswagen Minibus.

When they get to a viewpoint, Ren is taking multiple photos to ‘make Rey jealous’, while Hux is trying to spend as little energy as possible.

“Let’s take a selfie,” Ren says and hugs him.

They are staying close and when Hux turns to look at Ren, Ren is gazing at him.

Kylo takes the smallest step toward him, and their chests are touching each other. Ren leans down and stops when their noses almost brush.

“Hux?” he looks at Hux’s lips “May I?”

Who cares about a lake, green valley, breathtaking views when Kylo’s lips are so soft and so tempting. They are attractive adults, far from home and they are even married. And Hux is kissing those lips. He can deal with the consequences later, now he will enjoy this magical moment.

They keep it chaste, almost innocent, just pecking each other lips and softly licking them. Hux’s making an effort to remember everything, a self-vengeance for forgetting their first kiss in somewhere in the belly of the ‘Freedom Island’. He moves his hand to Ren’s neck and another one into his thick hair, while Ren’s hands hold onto Hux’s sides.

It’s over much faster than Hux’d prefer.

“We need to go,” Ren says not taking his gaze away from Hux’s eyes. Hux is relieved that he still has a small smile. “I don’t want us to miss the train.”

“Yes. Obviously.”

That doesn’t stop them from continuing kissing at every break, then at the train station. Hux feels like he is a teen again. Each time it’s getting harder to stop, the kisses are getting hornier and messier. He wants more, he wants everything but he is content with these more innocent touches. His brain tells him to stop, his dick tells him to find the closest bathroom and don’t give a damn about rules and norms. Real Hux is stuck somewhere in the middle.

They don't talk about it. Of course, they don't. They just continue kissing like it’s totally a normal thing to do.

On the train, they find a carriage where there are not many people, hide in the back row and make out like they are fifteen, like they are the only people in the world who know the magical ritual of smudging their lips together and the whole world are a bunch of fools for not doing that 24/7. It’s silly and juvenile. Hux knows that they should stop and talk, voice what is going on, ask why, but he also knows that if he asks questions he will get answers and there is no guarantee that won’t ruin everything. And he continues to nip at Ren’s ear and coaxing the most delicious little sounds from him. Who needs explanations when he can make Ren moan like he was trained to be a porn star? And when Ren moves his hand under his polo and moves them to Hux’s ribs, Hux completely forgets about everything else in the world. 

He more or less comes back to his senses when the train stops at the same station they arrived two weeks ago.

“Ren,” Hux’s voice is hoarse. “One more,  _ please _ .”

Kylo gives him a surprised look, or maybe even a shocked one. It’s like Hux asked Kylo not to kiss him but to drop on his knees and take Hux’s dick in his mouth right here, right now.

But after a second Ren nods anyway, and leans closer and kisses him long and passionately, squeezing Hux’s nape almost painfully.

Then he takes his bag and goes toward the exit, and all that is left for Hux is to trail behind him.

They are just coworkers and almost friends again. But maybe Hux could plan something for the next weekend too?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters will be short, updates will be regular!
> 
> If you like it, your comments/kudos are always welcomed and appreciated!
> 
> Thanks to [@spiteandmalice ](https://twitter.com/spiteandmalice) for beta work!
> 
> This fic is a rework of my twitter-fic inspired by a prompt from [Fru Hallbera ](https://twitter.com/FHallbera) "kylux, fluff, business trip and accidental marriage"
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://mysticmilkshakesublime.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/mystic_milks) don't hesitate to ask me anything  
> And now I have [curiousCat](https://curiouscat.me/mystic_milks) where you can ask me anonymously
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you like this one, you can check my other fics - wip -[drop the curtain, blow out the candles ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17462159)  
> wip -[you are burned up before you know it ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17705078)  
> and finished, moder-au [Up All Night ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18018218/)


	4. Week three

During the busy work week–to Hux’s absolute displeasure–they are back to their usual routine. 

Breakfast with Kylo. Work. Trying not to think about Kylo during their meetings together. Lunch with Kylo. More work. Trying and failing not to think about their kisses in the mountains during meetings without Kylo. Dinner with Kylo. Sleep (dreaming about Kylo). Repeat.

Their lunches together are torture. Hux has to choose the most public places he can possibly find, often preferring the one where their coworkers and people from their building like to eat, so he can control the temptation to forget about a Pho Bo or a fish wrap they are currently eating and devour Ren’s lush mouth instead. 

Evenings in their apartments are unbearable.

Mornings too.

The only difference from the last week is that now, in the evenings, while walking by the beach, Kylo holds Hux's hand. But then at home, they say goodnight to each other and go to their separate rooms. Each time their goodnights are getting longer and more...Hux isn’t even sure what… Lingering? Ambiguous? Heated?

Hux is trying, really trying, to put into his side of the parting words as much subtext and signals as he could. He leans into Kylo. He licks and slightly bites his lips, like a heroine in cheap erotica. He half closes his eyes and looks at Kylo under his eyelashes. He uses everything, except actual words. He needs Kylo to invite him, to say loud and clear what he wants. And it looks like Kylo also doesn’t want to spend his nights alone. But he says that stupid ‘goodnight, Hux’ and Hux has nothing else to say other than equally stupid ‘goodnight, Ren’ and take a cold shower before falling into sleep. But the dream world is full of Ren’s lips, Ren’s hands, lazy make-outs and words that Hux is not going to say in any version of reality.

The tension between them is palpable. Before all this Hux though that it’s just a figure of speech. Like “I’m so happy I can die”, “I’ll do anything for you, my friend,'' or “butterflies in my stomach” – phrases that sound right for songs or love letters, but don’t mean anything in reality. But now he knows that tension indeed can be palpable. His fingers literally tingle every time he is around Ren and he fights the urge to lick his own lips every time he sees Kylo’s. Hux could swear he knows when Ren enters the room even when Hux can’t see him because the hair on his nape stands every time Kylo is near him.

He feels phantom touches of those gorgeous colossal hands at the meetings when Ren slams them on the table to stress the importance of finishing the development before their competitors and in their kitchen when those hands tear bread rolls. His long fingers dig into a soft dough, his muscles tense and then Kylo brings a piece of it into his mouth. Yes, that’s the moment in his life when Hux envies baked goods.

It’s Wednesday and it’s official — every single second spent without touching Ren counts as one second too much. Looking at Kylo when he is eating, is a punishment from the universe for all Hux has ever done wrong. The way Kylo is licking his fingers, his lips, or sipping fresh juice from the eco-friendly reusable straw absolutely sinful. Everything that his mouth does clouds Hux’s mind. He envies that straw, that pastry, spaghetti he is slurping for dinner, the coffee spoon he licks before putting it onto a saucer. It’s unfair that Hux can’t touch him, and Hux is close to losing his mind because of it. It’s like watching the most intense porn while he is restrained in the chair, with his hands tied behind his back. 

At least at the apartment Hux can lock himself in his own room and touch himself fantasizing about the night in the club when all of this started or a small room in the hotel in the mountains they could have stayed at the last weekend.

And at work, every day he manages not to masturbate in the office bathroom is a major victory for Hux’s self-control. 

He knows it can’t go on like this forever, or his team will find out that their boss is a creep who is deranged from desire.

Unexpectedly, talkative Rose is the one who gives him an idea.

“You look… not okay,” she says after their meeting about cutting costs for storage in the cloud service. "It's like your body is here, but your mind is somewhere else. It happens to my sister all the time. She is a workaholic too, just like you."

“Thanks,” he says, barely understanding what she is talking about.

“You work too much. Way too much. It's good for the company but horrible for your mental health, believe me. Thank gods, it’s almost Friday. Only a day and a half before the big BBQ party,” she practically sings the last word and gives him a friendly smile.

“Yes. This Saturday. I remember that.”  _ Fuck, he totally forgot about the meet-up. _ It will be on Saturday, his participation is not mandatory, but he promised Kylo he’d be there. The whole ordeal was Kylo's idea and he was excited about it even when they were in the US.

“You know what Hux?" she smiles once again. Warm and sincere, like they’ve known each other for years and she actually enjoys talking with him. "My friends from the office and I are going to the wild beach on Sunday. You and Kylo could join us. It’d be like an after-party after the meet-up.”

She says ‘and Kylo’ probably because they live together and both are outsiders here, thinks Hux, no other reasons. But an instant later he wonders if she remembers something from that dreadful party and assumes they are a couple. 

Hux declines her invitation, firmly but politely. But before that, he asks everything about these beaches. And now all he needs to do is convince Ren to join him.

“Plans for the weekend?” Hux casually asks him, when he ambushes Kylo near the coffee point that evening. It’s easier to speak in the office, where everyone can see them, less tempting to get enchanted by Kylo’s deep brown eyes and say something stupid and irreversible. 

“Yeah, I was thinking about renting a car and exploring the nearby villages. Go somewhere quiet. What do you think?” Kylo says, putting his cup down. Hux can’t help but notice that their hands are less than an inch apart.

“Nice plan,”  _ Do you want me to join? Why aren’t you saying that loud and clear? _ “I was thinking about the beach. Rose told me, about…”

“You? A beach?” Ren interrupts him sounding genuinely surprised, and borderline upset “I didn’t take you for a person who would be willing to spend the whole day with their coworkers, half-naked under the burning sun.”

“No! Of course, not! I was thinking about going there alone, or,” he gives Kylo a use-your-brain look “with a small group.”

“We can go together!” Kylo starts saying even before Hux finished.

“That can work,” he gives Ren the slow and deliberate once-over and smiles as if he examined Ren for the first time and was satisfied with what he saw.

“Yeah. We can combine two plans,” Ren smiles back. It’s not friendly, it’s seductive and dangerous.

“Yes. You can rent a car,” Hux whispers with a tone more appropriate for the dirty talk in porn.

“And I can drive us to the beach,” Ren responses in the same tone.

“Definitely. We can stop in some villages if you want.”

“Yes.”

“Sure.”

For the whole exchange, their eyes stay locked. With every word, they leaned closer until their bodies almost touching and only their hands with cups are in the way. Hux knows they can’t do anything here, in the office in the middle of the working day, but for the shortest moment, he thinks of at least touching Ren's knuckles. A brief feeling, nothing worth noticing by anyone else except them. 

“Yeah,” Hux makes a step back instead and holds his tea close to his chest, “I have a meeting right now. Let’s discuss the details later.”

* * *

On Saturday they have a bbq/meet-up in the office terrace. Hux would prefer to spend his precious time to polish his presentation for the next Wednesday, or—even better—go to the beach with his handsome coworker, almost friend, and  _ de jure _ spouse. But Ren thinks this little event will improve the team spirit, so Hux listens to his speech and stays for the party, where Ren volunteered to be in charge of the grills.

Hux has never been into men who can cook —why bother to attempt to do it yourself if you can go to the restaurant and get better quality in less time? But when he sees Kylo in the "MAY THE FORKS BE WITH YOU" apron over the shorts exposing his muscular legs, looking both domestic and hot as hell, Hux is willing to reconsider his standards. If that man is going to cook just for him in their backyard... Hux stops himself, it's not healthy to fantasize about things that are not going to happen.

He fights with himself for the next fifteen minutes but eventually his stomach growls, he surrenders and walks up to the grills.

“Here you are," Ren greets him and smiles like he hasn't seen Hux for days, instead of not less than a half an hour ago "What do you want, Hux?” 

_ You! I want you and I want you now! I don’t want to wait until tomorrow and second-guessing what is going on between us! _

“Hux? General?" he repeats with a chuckle when Hux doesn't answer, "Chicken or fish?” 

“Chicken,”  _ I don’t care about food. At all! _ “How are you, chef?”

“Tired. Annoyed. Thrilled for our trip tomorrow,” he replies not taking his eyes from Hux's face while serving him food.

Hux tries to hide his smile but fails.

_ I'm excited too! You can't even imagine how much! _

“Why annoyed?” he asks instead.

“They ask so many questions and make so many requests.” he makes a head gesture to the crowd of guests, mostly containing people Hux has never met before. “The girl who looks like she is someone’s high school sister came here and asked if this meat is vegan. Then if it’s organic. Then about the sauce. Then about the coal. 'Was the fuel you are using obtained in a fair and eco-friendly way?" he mocks her high pitched voice.

“Poor Kylo was attacked by a child,” Hux says in the fakest concerned tone he can. But he makes a mental note to find out who she was, and who invited her. On the invitation says that you can bring guests it doesn't mean they can behave like a spoiled tourist in an all-inclusive hotel.

“Stay with me." Ren asks when Hux moves toward the tables, and adds almost without a pause, "If you are near they won’t bother me.”

"Why?" 

“That’s because they are afraid of you, the scary General Hux,” Ren explains, but there is no insult in his tone, only warmth. He says 'scary' like an endearment. 

Hux thinks it’s silly and disrespectful, both from the nameless ‘them’ and from Ren. Hux thinks about saying that and leaving that impudent child with the perfect smile and lips, which are a gift from heaven…

Hux stays.

He stays, he jokes with Kylo. He even allows himself to be convinced into wearing another apron that says “Be nice to me or I will poison your food” and help him cook. Then they leave the party together, full, tired and smelling of meat and burned wood.

* * *

Next morning when Hux leaves his room wearing his most casual light blue polo shirt and swimming shorts (because he didn’t lie to Ren, he only took pants on this trip), Ren is waiting for him.

“Morning, sunshine,” Kylo beams “Your carriage is waiting for you.”

Hux looks at him and thinks like countless times before that Kylo Ren could be a model and be on the cover of a sports magazine or be the face—the body— of some fancy protein bars or sports water. Knee long black swimming shorts, black flip-flops and a plain red tank top that looks like Ren stole it from Baywatch, and after they saw him wearing it, they had no other choice but to give it to Ren, because he looks way hotter than any other cast member. His excellent look is finished with a half-up ponytail.

At the street, Kylo guides him to the car and Hux can’t believe his eyes, assuming that Ren is joking. But he unlocks the car with keys and Hux is forced to face the reality, he rented the chihuahua of the automobile industry — a Smart car.

It’s surprisingly easy to relax in the car. Small and ridiculous from the outside, the car turns out to be more comfortable than Hux initially thought. A comfy seat, AC, adequate audio system. Ren turned on the music from his Spotify, the playlist with the very original name 'Drive', a peculiar mix of old Abba songs, classic rock like Eagle and Deep Purple, and modern rap about fast cars and drugs Hux has never heard before. Google Maps say it's twenty-eight minutes to their destination point, and Hux closes his eyes. He is close to dozing off when he is jolted to the side during a sharp turn of the mountain serpentine.

"Careful, Ren!" Hux complains, "And the sign said forty, but you are driving almost fifty."

"Forty-six is not almost fifty," Ren says concentrated on the road and turns the steering wheel on the next curve. "And we can change after the next stop if you want to steer in the mountains, General."

"I don't drive," Hux says, and he doesn't know why. Not that it's a secret he just doesn't usually tell trivial facts about himself.

"How come?" Ren asks eyes on the road.

"I got my driver's license in Ireland. My mother didn't have a car. Then I moved to the States and there is no need for a car in New York. Hence, no practice in years."

"I can teach you."

"Bright idea," Hux looks down the hill at the winding road beneath them and at the direction on the screen: sharp turns are surrounded by cliffs, trees, and precipices. "Risk is your middle name, Ren?"

"My middle name is Chewie if you need to know," he says with a barely hidden smile, so Hux can't tell if he is serious. "I can teach you on the straight and empty road near this old factory," he points at the map "Or on our way back at the supermarket parking lot, it's closed on Sunday so we can do whatever we want."

"I prefer not to do that in a foreign country without my license." then he adds quickly, "But thanks."

“Happy to serve as your personal driver, my general,” and that sends goosebumps down Hux’s body.  _ You can use me when you want.  _ Ren's phrase from the last week echoes in Hux's head superseding every snide comment he wanted to add.

They stop at the next viewpoint to take photos and immediately start making-out instead, all pretenses are gone now when they are alone and far from the city. It’s more frantic than anything that they did before, their fists clutch in each other’s shirts, lips crushing and bodies pressing. Hux isn’t sure how much time has passed but he’s seen in his peripheral vision a couple of cars stop and leave before they manage to stop devouring each other's faces. They continue driving in silence after that like nothing has happened but Ren pets Hux’s knee from time to time.

Navigation tells them to leave the main road and turn towards the sea then guides them through a muddy road surrounded by tall pine trees and bushes. From the map, it looks as they arrived but there is nothing there.

"We need to walk down from here for..." Ren looks at the map and then at his phone, "for about twenty minutes."

He leaves the car, grabs the bags and beckons for Hux to follow.

"Why did we stop here if we didn't arrive?" Hux asks after walking under the hellishly hot sun for what feels like an eternity.

"Because our car, like any other, can’t climb up as good as our legs. We could get down. Maybe. But not back."

"So why did you drive us here? The beach Rose told me about has good parki..."

"And it'll be crowded," Ren interrupts and turn to Hux, "Not as much as at the beaches in the city. But people will be there."

"And why do you think people won't be here?"

"Hard to get to. A long walk down. A longer walk up. No sand for kids. All the sandy beaches in the city are artificial. This one is natural and that’s why it’s a bunch of rocks in the water."

"But..."

"Tourists, especially with kids, prefer more comfortable places. And, " he grins "Near this place was a rebel’s base during the last war or the one before that. So no villages nearby."

Hux feels that he starts grinning too. The opportunity to spend the whole day far from everyone else trumps the mere inconvenience from walking.

When they came to the edge of the six or seven feet tall cliff, Ren goes first, then Hux gives him bags and only after that descends himself.

Hux looks around and is satisfied with what he sees. He is standing on an almost perfectly flat slab. It’s fifteen feet wide and ten feet long, smooth and warm from the sun, has a piece of shadow near the cliff, just big enough for Hux and Kylo to hide there from the sunburn. The half of the slab to Hux’s left has a step down that is covered with water. And there is azure sea right in front of him as far as the eye can see with boats of different sizes far away. And no other soul to see or hear.

Just two of them.

When no one can bother them it's so easy to surrender, come to Ren, who is currently taking out their mat and food from the bag, and hug him from behind, nuzzle his back and neck, slowly move his shirt up and take it off. When Kylo is shirtless he turns, gives Hux a brief kiss and helps Hux to take his polo off too.

"Do you want to swim, Hux?" Kylo whispers in his ear.

"Yes," Hux tells moving his lips along Ren's jawline "But first I need to apply sunscreen. Can you help me?"

"Yes," Ren moans "Will you help me after that?"

"We'll see," says Hux lowering himself on the mat, "It depends on how well you will fulfill your part."

Hux can't decide what gives him more pleasure: being finally touched by Ren's fingers, being massaged and taken care of, or to touch every inch of Kylo's back, his sides, shoulders, and arms. Luckily for him, he doesn't need to choose because after they finish with sunscreen they stay on the mat kissing and touching each other.

"Hux, babe, we need to go into the water."

"Hmmm?" all he manages in response.

"It's too hot here. I don't want you to overheat," with that Kylo stands up and gives his hand to Hux.

"How you are planning to do that?" Hux ask at the end of the slab. It's only one foot high and the water is so clear that he can see every rock on the ground, even though it must be at least ten feet deep, but he hesitates.

"Like that," and Kylo cannonballs into the water with a splash.

"Okay, Kylo Ren, you genius, and how are you going to get up," Hux says looking at shells and sharp rocks stuck around the edge of the slab.

"There." He swims to the part of the slab that is immersed in the water, pulls himself up, and then steps back into the water without turning to look at where he’s going. "Now take the masks and join me. Or I'll come for you, pick you up and drag you here."

Hux sighs, rolls his eyes but obeys, although he stashes the promise of being picked up for later use. 

The water is warm and salty enough to float without much effort. They're snorkeling in the full-face masks that Kylo got somewhere beforehand. It’s nice: there are small fish, seaweed, and he even saw one starfish. Not as nice as looking at Kylo’s almost naked body, drops of salty water sliding from it. Hux wants to lick it, to taste sea salt, his sweat, his skin, to find out what are his ticklish spots and what spots make him pliant and desperate for more.

Hux quickly finds that kissing in the water when they can't stand looks nice in movies and great for fantasies but in reality isn't convenient. When they hug they start drowning, and when they tread water it's getting nearly impossible not to kick the other one. They don't stop trying. Not until they are exhausted and want to hide in the shade, drink, have a bit of the fruits and recover.

Ren is the first one to get on the slab. He easily pulls himself up to the rock and when he stands over Hux, like superman covering the sun with his form, and gives his hand to help Hux.

Hux cringes when he puts all his weight on the solid ground — small edges of rocks and shells aren’t the most pleasant surface to put your naked feet on.

“I can take you to our mat,” Ren suggests quietly, while their hands are locked.

“No,” Hux shakes his head. It's tempting but he's not a porcelain figure, that needs to be taken care of, “it’s only a dozen feet from here.”

“But what about urchins?” Kylo lowers his voice to conspiratorial whisper with hints of alarm, but his smile annuls his efforts. 

“What about what?” Hux tries to not smile back.

“Urchins. Sea urchins.”

Hux, who still stays on the edge of the slab, looks at his feet. The water is clear and it only touches his ankles. He can see everything—anyone with working eyes could—the light yellow of the slab, the dark brown of the rocks, white, green and black of the shells – no urchins. He bets they aren’t even living in the Adriatic sea.

“Okay.” _ If you want you can hold me in your big strong arms, Kylo Ren, why should I resist _ , “But only because I don’t want poison needles in my body.”

Ren comes closer, urges Hux to put his arms around his neck, and guides Hux’s legs around his waist. He lifts Hux up effortlessly as if Hux weighs no more than Milli.

“By the way, here it is,” and Kylo points to the small black ball in the water, “Sea urchin.”

“Thanks for saving my feet. I owe you now,” Hux says, leans into Kylo’s ear, and lightly worries it between his teeth.

The trip to their mat is short. Ren puts Hux on his back on the mattress and lays near him, petting Hux's sides with the tips of his fingers. Hux never ceases to be surprised by how gentle and soft his touches are.

It’s so nice to just lay there, forget about the outside world, their corporate rules, consequences, longterm plans, the constant rush of NYC and enjoy the mix of soft and warm mat under his back, the chill of the shadow of the cliff, Kylo’s firm muscles, Kylo's silky hair and the soothing sound of Kylo's breathing and heartbeat. Hux closes his eyes and pretends that they have all the time in the world.

They alternate between kissing, applying sunscreen, eating and swimming a couple of more times.

It's almost sunset when Ren says that they need to go soon if they don't want to climb back in the dark.

"Let's swim one more time before that," he adds.

"You go if you want, I'll wait for you here," Hux answers not opening his eyes, not moving from Ren's chest and not stopping kissing his neck for more than necessary to pronounce each word.

"No. I won't leave you unattended. You are too valuable."

"Then don't go. Because I don't want to spend the ride to the city in wet shorts."

"You can take them off," Kylo suggests, his voice sounding as level as normal people’s do when they ask about the weather.

"And get arrested for public exposure?"

"By who?" Ren sounded amused, "And even if there were people. We are in Europe. No one cares."

"I can join you," Kylo continues when Hux did not deign to swallow the bait, "Or we can play truth or dare, and you can pick dare.”

“Do you want to dare me to undress, Kylo Ren,” Hux asks in the fakest shocked tone.

“Maybe I want you to dare me,” Kylo answers, grinning widely.

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

Ren rises and comes to the edge of the water. He faces the sea, quickly pulling his swimming shorts down. His ass is untanned, muscular like other parts of his perfect body and downright biteable. Hux can’t see moles from that distance but he is sure they are there too, and he wants to lick them all, count them with his kisses.

Kylo steps from his shorts, picks them, slightly turns and throws them in the direction of their mat and Hux. He gives Hux a half-grin, and screams, "It's your turn now."

Then he winks and jumps into the water, this time like a professional swimmer. 

Hux genuinely can't believe this is his life right now. It's more appropriate for romcoms or cheesy novels for teens and housewives than for a life of the Lead Architect for a game engine. Too bad it'll be over soon. 

On the way back they keep their mouths shut again and Hux can’t stop questioning why they are moving so slowly. They are two grown-ups, experienced men, who are clearly—they swam naked after all—into each other. Hux just wants to stop this moment, to appreciate it's a spell, but why Ren isn’t making his move?

Then they are almost near their house, Ren stops the car near a dark corner and looks at Hux.

"One more time?"

Hux doesn't answer instead he unfastens the belt and almost climbs onto Ren's lap.

Smart wasn't designed for a make-out session of two tall people but neither of them seems to care.

Only when he is alone in his shower and finally comes after the whole day of stimulation, it occurs to Hux that he'd never done that in a car before. When his partners were mature enough to have a car, they were also mature enough to have an apartment. It's childish to be that excited about such a trivial detail, but he is glad he shared that experience with Ren.

What else can they do together that he has never done before, Hux thinks in his bed. But, in the best-case scenario, he needs to wait five long days until the next weekend to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters will be short, updates will be regular!
> 
> If you like it, your comments/kudos are always welcomed and appreciated!
> 
> Thanks to [@spiteandmalice ](https://twitter.com/spiteandmalice) for turning my writing into undestandacle and coherent text!
> 
> This fic is a rework of my twitter-fic inspired by a prompt from [Fru Hallbera ](https://twitter.com/FHallbera) "kylux, fluff, business trip and accidental marriage"
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://mysticmilkshakesublime.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/mystic_milks) don't hesitate to ask me anything  
> And now I have [curiousCat](https://curiouscat.me/mystic_milks) where you can ask me anonymously
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you like this one, you can check my other fics - wip -[drop the curtain, blow out the candles ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17462159)  
> wip -[you are burned up before you know it ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17705078)  
> and finished, moder-au [Up All Night ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18018218/)


	5. Week four

Boom-Boom-Boom.

All hands on deck.

Hux can't make out what is going on and why their ship is sinking when only a moment ago he was having passionate sex with handsome pirate Kylo. His brain is still three-quarters asleep, and it takes him time to figure out that it's his mobile phone, and it's a notification that he set up himself almost a year ago for this particular situation that was nearly impossible.

Just like that, he is completely awake, logging in the monitoring app on his phone with one hand and entering his password for the laptop with the other one.

He pulls his pants on, takes everything else with him, and rushes to wake up Kylo.

Hux almost bumps into him in their living room. Ren is in a similar state of partial disarray, jumping into one sock and yelling orders on the phone.

"I don't care what time is in NYC! Go in the office now, or I'll fly there and... Go there!" he throws the phone onto the table. It makes a pitiful creaking sound.

"North American cluster," he tells Hux, while they're finishing dressing.

"I know."

"I thought it was impossible."

"Me too."

"Okay. We’ll fix it," he comes to Hux and hugs him with one hand.

"We will,"  _ or we can start looking for another job. Preferably in another field _ .

"We will, babe" he repeats more convincingly than Hux, "I called a taxi. Pack and let's go. I'll send an email to Snoke."

In the taxi, after sending a dozen of identical texts, Hux finally has a moment to look at the clock. It's almost seven, the streets are empty, but the sun has risen, and the city is stuck somewhere between peaceful serenity and sinister post-apocalyptic void.

Rose is waiting for them in the office — a reusable cup filled with coffee in hand, and multiple ideas in mind.

After closer inspection, they collectively agree that it's not that horrible. Very bad, but manageable. Meanwhile, Finn, who shouldn't be the office in such an hour and can't help them fix it, is making coffee for everyone and contacting team and rescheduling meetings.

Most likely, they were under DDOS-Attack, a tricky one, that their security scripts couldn't detect. The system should have done auto-rescaling, but that coincided with minor problems of their cloud provider's side. Chances of that happening simultaneously were minimal, but that was enough. Or whoever attacked them, knew that the cloud had a bug and used that vulnerability.

Hux redirected their traffic to South American cluster and to Singapore. This temporary solution will hold until Rose and onshore team in the States come up with something more permanent.

"How's it going?" the voice startles Hux. He didn't hear anyone entering the room over the music on his headphones, but knows it's Kylo even without turning around.

"We are afloat," he gives Kylo a small smile. 

"And how are you?" 

"Okay. I'm not made from sugar, I won't melt from a bit of sweating." If Hux if completely honest with himself, this is fun. He hates chaos, but when he can take it under control and bend to his will, he enjoys it. If not for the rumbling in the stomach and throbbing pain in the temples he'd feel great.

"Is that so? Why are you so sweet then?" Kylo's voice is low and he bends down to Hux's ear. Hux looks through the glass walls of the room, he claimed as his office for today. Everyone is still in some state of panic, and not paying any attention to them, still...

Kylo notices his expression and steps back. 

"Will you be able to catch a meeting with customers today? It's moved to 6 pm," Kylo says in his regular tone.

"Yes, I think so."

"Great. Here," Kylo puts a thin paper bag with grease stains on it. 

"What is that?"

But Kylo's phone vibrates before he can answer. He makes a sorry-face, and he leaves Hux alone.

It's pastries,— some are sweet, some are with meat and vegetables. They are not as good as their breakfast, and Hux would prefer normal food. But it's the best he can get it now, and he didn't even realize he was that hungry before he started to eat.

* * *

It’s almost 10 pm, but the universe doesn't grant Hux even a moment tête-à-tête with his ... with Kylo.

The meeting in the restaurant, that Hux inwardly refers as theirs, his and Kylo's, is productive but way too long. When all pressing matters are discussed, and Hux is ready to call it a night for the last half an hour, Mariana and Sadie—the clients—order desserts and another bottle of wine.

"The night is still young and full of terror," Sadie laughs. Kylo for some reason chuckles, low and husky. And Mariana rolls her eyes, "We can have some fun. Our bosses are paying for everything anyway."

Hux, as opposed to a popular joke in the First-Order HQ, is actually a human, and he does understand the notions to drink and relax on a business trip, but he can't survive another minute of Mariana's 'funny' stories from Polish history, or Sadie's anecdotes from the last year's corporate Christmas party.

"It was a pleasure to deal with you, but let's continue tomorrow at our office." Ren finally says, when everyone is drinking and the table is in silence, "We had a long and arduous day. Our Lead Architect can go into hibernation mode at any second."

"Funny, Ren. It’s because I'm a robot. Ha-ha," grumbles Hux, but he is grateful for the rescue.

But even when a check is handled, and a bottle of wine is taken from the restaurant by Sadie, they are not left alone.

"You go to East Port? Our hotel is nearby," Sadie tells Ren, who is ordering a taxi "Just order for us too."

"I thought your boss is paying?" Hux murmurs under his breath so only Kylo can hear him.

On their way home, Sadie sits between them, and Hux thinks it's not funny anymore. He just wants to put his head on Kylo's shoulder. Why is the universe Kylo-blocking him?

"Finally home," says Ren, and closes the door.

He doesn't even have time to put the key into the bowl before Hux pulls him closer and connects their lips.

They are kissing as if their lives depend on it. Like they are underwater and the only source of air is the mouth of another. It's messy, frantic, clashing of teeth and desperate fight of tongues.

"Kylo," Hux moans into his mouth, pulling away just a bit to remove Kylo's shirt.

"I know, babe, I know," Kylo sends his shirt flying across the hall, kisses Hux again sucking on his lower lip, connecting their bodies, and pushing Hux at the wall.

Everything is a mess, their hands are on each other, their mouths licking, sucking and biting each other. Kylo tugs Hux's shirt from his slacks and moves his hands under it, pressing them to Hux's ribs with just enough pressure then lifting them to Hux's nipples.

Hux pushes him aside lightly, catches Kylo's surprise and slightly upset expression and can't contain a little chuckle. He quickly unbuttons and pulls his shirt off, and practically jumps back into Ren's arms.

Ren growls, bites his shoulder, grabs his butt, guides Hux's legs around his waist, and lifts him off the floor.

"What are you..." but Kylo's mouth shuts down Hux’s protests.

They end up on the huge sofa in the living room, rolling over it and throwing pillows that dare to stay in their way to the floor.

"We should," Kylo starts, voice ragged. Hux doesn't understand and doesn't want to listen so half of the words are eaten by their kisses. "to bed."

"Yes, you are right," damn, it's difficult to form words. But fuck, Ren is right. "Let's go to sleep."

Ren rolls from him and Hux stands up. Standing is also difficult.

"Right," Ren sits, his chest is rapidly rising and falling, "You had a long day, Hux. It's a working week. We can talk tomorrow."

"Yes," Hux moves to the door to his room before he can change his mind and run back to Ren's embrace.

“Goodnight, Hux,” Hux hears from the back. Apparently, Ren didn't move from the sofa.

“Goodnight, Kylo.”

Hux closes the door with his back and slides on the floor. He is painfully hard and hardly can understand what has just happened.

The thought of Kylo just feet away from him drives him crazy. Gorgeous Kylo, with a smile that can melt any heart, with adorable ears, with his peculiar sense of humor, Kylo who is always late, but always there when it counts.

That's ridiculous.

He is a grown-up man, with a respected job, who is sitting on the floor with his slacks off, and his cock in his hand thinking about the man in the next room. If there was a "Pathetic" wiki page Hux's photo would be on top of it. 

Hux doesn't care.

He bites his hand so he doesn’t moan too loudly and keeps jerking faster imagining Kylo's huge hands on his shaft.

When it's over and he is still on the floor, shirtless and with a sticky hand and stomach he starts to berate himself. For doing what he did. For not staying with Kylo. For being a scared little chicken. For overthinking. For allowing himself to fantasize that they can be together for real. More than just co-workers. More than almost friends.

* * *

Okay, Hux is not proud of what he's done. But he has perfectly good reasons for that.

Yesterday's evening was a train wreck. The whole day was the equivalent of Murphy's Law, everything that could go wrong went wrong. And kissing Ren—sober, almost sober, in their apartment, on Monday—was the Everest of foolishness.

He left their apartment while Ren was in the gym. No, Hux wasn't sneaking away like a petty inexperienced thief, he just didn't want to wake up the neighbors. And, no, he didn't set meetings for the whole day, because he was scared of Ren, he just had a lot of work.

What really was low, is to ignore Ren's messages, then ignore ‘where r u?’ and ‘we need to talk’ and go to the nearby park, which was too sunny and crowded, and definitely the last spot where Ren would look for him.

_ Is it something important? I forgot that I have an appointment right now. I can't talk right now, maybe we could meet in the office, after lunch and discuss everything. _

Then he deletes it.

_ I can't talk right now. Is it something important? _

Then he deletes it too.

_ Kylo, I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm doing. Not only today but since that night in the club. I like you, a lot. And I don't want to lose what we already have. But the last time I opened my heart it ended badly. I know it's a lame excuse, and it was a long time ago. In hindsight, it wasn't that bad, we just were young and stupid. That doesn't matter. But, except shitty Tinder dates and one-night stands with men Phasma tried to fix me with, I hadn't been with anyone for years. And I'm afraid. Afraid of what I feel toward you, but maybe it's a good thing. Maybe, that I'm afraid means, _

What the fuck does it mean? That he is an emotional mess, and Kylo should run away from him?

He deletes that message either. And turns off notifications from Slack.

Kittens and cupcakes! That's what he needs, and that means Instagram.

His lunch break is almost over when he sees a story from Phasma. It's in her apartment, she is recording herself doing different planks, while Millie trying to get her attention rubbing on her. It's titled "What stays between you and your perfect body?"

He sends heart-eyes emoji and almost immediately gets a video call from her.

"Hi, Ginger!" she flashes him a flawless smile. She is in her kitchen, drinking some pink shake, and Millie is on her lap, "Say hi to daddy!"

Millie is unamused when the camera faces her and continues licking herself.

"Hi, Millie, hi Phasm, how both of you doing?"

"Great! The last insta story is a huge success. You can't imagine how long it took me to make it. But our baby is a star. Yes, you are a star, yes you are," she coos, which is completely out of character and makes Hux smile too. "How are you? How is Greece?"

"I'm on Crait."

"Potato potato. How is the sea? You don't look tanned."

"Because I'm here working, not on vacation."

"Did you even see the sea, nerd?"

Instead of an answer Hux turn the camera, and shows her the view of the lagoon.

"I officially hate you, Armitage Hux! We hate daddy, yes we do," she talks to Millie again, and Hux is afraid she will spoil his baby. "What about boys? Have you had a crazy European lay?"

Hux makes a face.

"Yes!" she interprets it wrongly "Tell me everything, I'm bored to death here. Every kinky detail! Do they shave or go 'all naturelle'?"

"I didn't sleep with anyone if you must know."

"Why?"

Yes, why? Very good question.

"Oh. You are on a hunt, aren't you? Who is your lucky prey?"

"It's not that. I just have a lot of work. No time for that."

"Hux, baby, turn your boring super brain off, and get laid. Or your ass will turn virgin once again."

"Don't be crude," but he chuckles nonetheless. "I need to go."

"Okay. But seriously enjoy life a little bit. Some fun won't kill you."

He spends the rest of the day actively avoiding Ren. It's not that hard when both of them have their plates full after yesterday's disaster.

Hux finds time to make himself coffee between the call with Snoke and the Q&A session with Head of the Customer Support Team Peavey. He strolls through open space typing responses and practically crashing into Kylo-you-should-be-on-the meeting-with-supply-team-Ren.

"We need to talk, Hux."

"I have a call in two minutes. If it's urgent you can add it to my schedule after 6 pm," he says as professionally as he can.

"No," Ren shakes his head, "It's not urgent."

"All right. That way you can brief me during our morning stand-up with the dev team tomorrow."

"Okay, Hux," Ren says but his open face and his sad brown eyes tell Hux that it’s everything but okay.

Hux can't look at him, so he turns around and goes back to the room, without tea. 

* * *

When Hux gets home it's long past nine, and thankful he can’t see Ren anywhere in their shared space. Hux sneaks to his own room and falls on the bed.

An hour later muffled noise from the other side of the door suggest that Ren either came home or was in his room all the time.

It doesn’t matter and Hux finally finds the strength to go to the bathroom. Maybe he can find the inner peace there.

At night in his bed, Phasma's advice echoes in his head, while he forbids himself to pay any attention to his hard cock.

Anyway, he doesn't have a chance for rest because of the stupid thunderstorm outside. He needs to stand up and close the window because a small puddle of water is already under it, but that's out of his ability tonight. He continues to lay down, twisting and turning, overthinking and questioning every choice he made.

Then he decides. And immediately rises from the bed. If his whole behavior was juvenile, he can use a juvenile tactic as well.

He takes a pillow, crosses the living room and knocks on the door.

When Kylo doesn't answer immediately, Hus wants to run back. Who knows, maybe he is not in the apartment, or even not alone.

_ Pull yourself together _ , inner voice that sounds like Phasma tells him,  _ you can always run away after _ .

Hux knocks one more time, then opens the door. He hasn’t been in Kylo’s room since that morning when he found the ring on his finger and stepping in the dim place, that's lit up by a single street light is terrifying. 

"Hux? What's wrong?" Kylo’s voice is drowsy. The storm didn't stop him from sleeping.

"I just thought," and he chickens out. Again. "Nothing. Never mind."

He turns around to leave, but one more lightning strikes flashes then thunder shakes the room and makes him flinch.

"You were scared?" the mix of concern and disbelief coloring Kylo’s voice.

Hux is too embarrassed to actually answer but he faces the bed, shrugs and makes a vague sound that can be interpreted either way.

"Oh, baby," Kylo mumbles “com’ here.”

Kylo rolls on his side and lifts the thin blanket up inviting Hux to join him. Hux can discern that Ren sleeps without a shirt only in loose shorts.

What options do Hux really have? Turn tail like a stray cur, and hide in his own lonely and cold bed, or stay here with Kylo, who for some inexplicable reason still wants to spend time with him. Tough choice.

Hux promptly lays there before either of them change their minds. Kylo is pleasantly warm in contrast to the chilly room.

He spoons Hux, and falls back asleep almost immediately, softly huffing near Hux's ear.

Hux wakes up the next morning still tangled with Kylo, who, by the way, is impossibly handsome in his sleep. The wall clock shows that he still has time to nap. The weather outside promises to be great, and it’s so tempting not to go to work.

But that’s not who he is. Hux tries to move to the shower without waking Kylo, whose arm is still on top of him, up, but that arm only hugs him tighter after slightest movement.  _ Such a caveman. _

"Where do you think you are going?" Kylo muters trailing kisses down his neck.

"Shower, breakfast, work," Hux replies but doesn't try to leave the bed anymore.

"We still have twenty min. Forty if we skip breakfast."

"Breakfast is the most important meal," Hux says rubbing his ass on Kylo's boner. Even through two layers of sleepwear, he feels how hard and big it is. Not a surprise at this point.

“Breakfast is very important,” Kylo echoes, and moves his hand to Hux’s lower belly.

Their lazy touches lead to lazy kissing, then to lazy handjobs. They're both sweaty and hot, and Hux can’t believe that it’s he who made Kylo give those low moans.

Then they move to a playful shower together, then take an Uber to work because they are almost late and have breakfast—the most important meal—in the office kitchen.

* * *

“You hurt me, you know?” Kylo is looking at the boats, and fidgeting the fork in his seafood pasta, “Yesterday.”

That’s unexpected. They are dining on the terrace of their usual place, and everything is fine. Hux just finished telling the story about how he met and eventually befriended Phasma. They are laughing because it’s objectively hilarious to picture Hux’s old landlady berating him for not marrying that gorgeous young lady. And then out of the blue, Ren tells him that.

“We kissed. Then you ghosted me all day and came to my bedroom at night. What should I think?”

“Kylo, I...” _...am an idiot._ _...am sorry. Shouldn’t._ “I was...”

“Hux, no need,” Kylo says lightly touching his fingers. “I don’t want you to do anything you are uncomfortable doing.”

“It’s not that. I’m just...” he trails off.

“Whatever it is, there is no need to avoid me. If you need time, space, or whatever, just tell me.”

“Yeah, okay, obviously,” he squeezes Kylo’s fingers.

They spend some time just staying like that, holding each other's hand, and looking away.

“I don't want to bother you on the weekend, so I’m leaving,” Kylo says flatly after a while.

“You don’t have to,”  _ be a normal human being and say something,  _ “You can stay,”  _ that’s your idea of normal?  _ “I mean, I don’t want to spend a weekend without you.”  _ You see. Wasn’t hard, eh? _

Kylo looks him in the eyes and then away again.

“Actually, I bought tickets on Monday. For both of us. You had such a hard day,” Ren tells to the remainder of his pasta, “I wanted to treat you.”

“And where did you want to take me?” says Hux, praying that hope and self-hatred aren't obvious in his voice.

“Venice,” Kylo finally looks at him, and all his face better suits to someone who challenged a bull to a fight.

“Can I still go with you?” he really wants to add that he actually doesn’t care where to, and he asked just for the sake of knowing. But not today. Baby Steps.

“Yes. If that’s what you want. Hux,” he pauses and takes a long inhale through his nose, “I want you to go, but I better go by myself, than spend time in Venice wondering why you run away or hide in your room.”

“I want. I really do.”

“Okay. Saturday 6 am. We should be at the port.”

After that evening they sleep together in the Kylo's room every night. They finish each other off before or after sleep, but mostly both. And who can blame Hux for that, it’s impossible to come to bed after a shower and see that man, and not want to touch him. Simultaneously, it’s also almost impossible to wake up near him, look at his calm and handsome face, and not want to lose yourself into kissing him. He deserved a little bit of happiness.

But if it’s 5.30 and Hux needs to get up and go to some port, and even waking up by the soft caress on Kylo’s lips on his cheek, doesn’t improve his mood. All Hux can think is how he must control his inner asshole and not bark at this gorgeous man.

Way to the port, customs, embarking on the boat, finding free space, everything is muddled in his sleepy mind. And that Ren is asleep five minutes after his ass hit the seat, doesn’t improve Hux grumpy mood. Mobile internet stops working after the shore is out of sight. The boat doesn’t have wifi. All that’s left is looking at the flat surface of the sea through the grubby window. 

But a bit more than three hours on the most boring boat and they are in one of the most famous cities in the world. Which is a complete disappointment: it's too hot, too many people, too expensive, lines everywhere and food isn't good at all.

Hux can’t deny that the architecture is beautiful, and Kylo’s face has an expression of utter delight every time he makes “the most likable pic of all time”.

“People from the boat organize excursions,” Hux says when they stop to get Kylo a cup of coffee. Tea that Hux ordered is an example of how awful tourist places are - the small teapot cost them ten euro, inside it was one cheap tea bag, and it tasted like hot brown water.

“I booked everything,” replies Kylo “Don’t you worry about a thing, babe.”

He doesn’t stop taking photos of his coffee with the canal in the background. 

“Let’s imagine I believe that you, Kylo Ren, has planned more detailed than ‘let’s go with the flow’. Would you be so kind as to share your plans with me?” Hux is upset that his tea is horrible, the sun is bright and Ren hasn’t properly kissed him for far too long.

“If I don’t show people my schedule right after introducing myself, that doesn’t mean I am unprepared.” he teases, “We'll finish our drinks, go to the Airbnb, leave our bag there, then visit two churches and have one private tour with local guide, then lunch in a pizzeria. Then you'll have one hour of free time and rest before our evening program,” he says mocking the voice of typical tourist guide “Does that satisfied your?”

“No,” Hux retorts with the most suggestive smile “That does not satisfy me. But it'll do til we are alone.”

During the rest of the day, Hux can't stop thinking about how much Kylo must have spent on their small but cozy apartment in the center of the city. He does enjoy this impromptu vacation, but they'll need to split cost after, and that'll make a sizable hole in his budget. Until he stops thinking at all because they are finally alone.

They are kissing in their apartment's hallway. They started at the narrow and smelly staircase of the old building they are staying. That's why it took them so long to get to the entrance door. Then Kylo spent almost as long to open the door — it's not an easy task when Hux keeps sucking at his neck and shoving his hand into Kylo's underpants.

After they are finally in, Ren picks Hux up by his waist and sits him on the low bureau, continuing kissing him. Hux literally doesn't understand why they ever went to any boring guided tours or gondola ride if they could do this. After all that they can do in a much more affordable city.

“Hey babe, don’t get too excited. We have tickets to museum in half an hour.”

“I don’t care,” he points his statement with a tug of Kylo’s lip.

“But I made a schedule.”

Hux keeps kissing him, and slowly pulling his ‘NOT A TOURIST’ t-shirt up.

“But I’ve color-coded it in the google calendar,” he whines, when Hux is sucking a spot lower his collar bone. “Hux!”

“Yeah-yeah. We can go,” Hux moves his hand to stroke Kylo’s cock through his jeans, gets down from the bureau, lightly pushes him to the opposite door and lowers himself onto his knees so he is on the crotch level, “If that's really what you want.”

Kylo doesn't protest and Hux unzips his jeans pulls them down with underpants to Kylo's knees.

Kylo has a really nice cock, long, thick, and fully hard. The type of cock that Hux instantly wants to lick, and he doesn't see any reasons not to. Hux made the formal acquaintance of it, but he hasn't had an opportunity to pay it the attention it deserves.

Kneeling under that gorgeous man and slowly and teasing, licking his gorgeous cock, Hux considers himself lucky. He has always had a soft spot for giving head. He likes the feeling of being in control, likes the taste, it turns him on, and he finds nothing to be ashamed about it. He likes to do it, he does it well, and if he can see a powerful man melting under his lips — it's just a pleasant little bonus. And if it's big it's even better: the stretch of his lips, the fullness of his mouth, the victorious feeling when he finally gets to the base of it. And Kylo's is the biggest his mouth ever touched, but Hux is all up for the challenge.

He puts his hands on Kylo's ass and guides his cock into his mouth. He spends some time just sucking on the head and tasting his precome, then starts slowly inch by inch swallowing it down.

When his nose touches Kylo's pubic hair he raises his gaze at him. He is rewarded by the reverent look at his face and a loud moan.

Encouraged by that Hux starts moving back and forth fucking his own mouth with Kylo's cock.

Kylo's hands rest in his hair. They aren't pushing or even guiding him, just gently massaging his skull.

"Hux," Kylo grunts "Hux, I'm close."

Instead of pulling back Hux squeezes Kylo's butt tighter and doesn't slow his pace. Kylo comes down his throat a second later mumbling his name.

Hux continues to move his mouth, shifts his attention to the head and licks the last delicious drops from it. He only stops when Kylo whines and shudders.

They miss the museum.

They almost miss the night gondola ride, which, by the way, is quite lovely.

And instead of the dinner in one of the fanciest restaurants in the world, they buy panini and a bottle of wine and are happy to head home. 

Needless to say their spend almost the whole weekend in the apartment, leaving only to get food and quickly go back. They cover each other’s body with kisses, exploring every inch of skin. Hux loves every one of Kylo’s moans. He’s never been that much into giving as with Kylo.

On their way back, Kylo falls asleep almost immediately after giving him a long and passionate kiss, completely unperturbed by a bunch of people around them. And Hux is again left alone with his phone and without the internet. He reads a bit but quits after finding himself reading the same sentence for the third time and not getting it. Then he tries to work but that puts him to sleep. He napped for around thirty minutes but the kids all around him are too loud and keep waking him up. Especially the one right behind him, a small boy who yells, giggles, hits Hux’s chair with his tiny feet and behaves like he was raised by wolves, while his parents are sleeping soundly. It’s not that Hux hates kids, he's sure he'll like his own or Phasma’s, for example, if she ever decides to have them. But at a time like this, he wishes he could have purchased tickets to the childfree boat, childfree flight, childfree train, go to childfree restaurants and childfree Disneyland (the happiest place on earth has objectively too many of them).

Out of sheer boredom, he decided to review photos. There quite a lot of them, because Ren used his phone when his own died in the battle against its owner with to capture every single building, canal, and dove in the city.

Photos are not that bad, and there are even a few that Hux is willing to post into his own social media. But there is one that makes him stop — the photo of them on a gondola. It’s horrible: it’s a selfie, a quarter of the photo includes Kylo’s arm, the light is all wrong, their faces are weird, they are looking at each other and flinching from the sun. But that’s not why Hux stopped scrolling.

They look crazy, freakishly, like families in cereals commercial happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters will be short, updates will be regular!
> 
> If you like it, your comments/kudos are always welcomed and appreciated!
> 
> Thanks to [@spiteandmalice ](https://twitter.com/spiteandmalice) for turning my writing into undestandacle and coherent text!
> 
> This fic is a rework of my twitter-fic inspired by a prompt from [Fru Hallbera ](https://twitter.com/FHallbera) "kylux, fluff, business trip and accidental marriage"
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://mysticmilkshakesublime.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/mystic_milks) don't hesitate to ask me anything  
> And now I have [curiousCat](https://curiouscat.me/mystic_milks) where you can ask me anonymously
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you like this one, you can check my other fics - wip -[drop the curtain, blow out the candles ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17462159)  
> wip -[you are burned up before you know it ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17705078)  
> and finished, moder-au [Up All Night ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18018218/)


	6. Week five

Hux's never been a morning person. Over the years he’s trained his body to rise around 8 am without an alarm, but he is sleepy for the rest of the day and on the weekend he sleeps at minimum until ten.

But today, when he wakes up and turns his head to look at the clock, he is happy. He still has half an hour left to rest, but he’s going to use it for other purposes. He's trying to move as little and as quietly as possible. That way he can win over that brute, and pay Kylo back for his yesterday's defeat.

Somehow over the course of the last five mornings, he and Kylo developed a small challenge— whoever is awake first gets an opportunity to bring the other one back to life with slow kisses and a morning blowjob.

Hux lost three times already. Not that complains about waking up from Kylo's gentle touches, but his pride is wounded and he needs to retaliate.

Hux props himself up on his elbow and marvels for a second how adorable Kylo looks with a relaxed face and half-opened mouth. A thin blanket covers only his bottom part. Hux moves it up, and ducks under it, trying not to wake Kylo up until he can get his mouth on his body. For reasons, which Hux doesn't get, Kylo switched to sleeping in his t-shirt, but without underwear. If that was a hint, Hux didn’t need it.

Hux starts with kissing his abdominal muscles then lowers to his inner thighs, nosing and rubbing his cheeks over Kylo's tender skin. 

Kylo is half-hard when Hux takes the head in his mouth. He licks it, simultaneously stroking him, and getting small moans from the sleeping man.

Hux feels delicate fingers in his hair. They are stroking his head lightly. Hux leans into the touch, enjoying it greatly, encouraging Kylo to pet him more. He moans with Kylo's dick in his mouth, making the other man tremble from the vibration.

"I'm not sleeping," Kylo says between two yawns, “babe.”

"Mmh," is all Hux can answer, not planning to stop for idle talk.

Hux isn't in the mood for taking Kylo’s dick deep today. For that, he needs to be fully awake. Instead, he concentrates his efforts on the head, helping himself on the shaft with one hand, while the second one keeps massaging Kylo's inner thigh. He is touching it with only the tip of his tongue, quickly and lightly. It was called "butterfly's wings" in the tutorial he watched a couple of years ago. He found it accidentally while searching for sexual orientation, and gender statistics in IT-industry, but he gave it a try. After all, if you want to be good at something, it's better to learn. When he finished with a preview he paid $9.99 for it. And, if Kylo's loud groans are any indication, he didn't waste his money.

"Hux, I.." Kylo starts, but Hux twists his tongue over the head and the rest of the phrase is an animalistic roar.

Hux loves that about him. A clear indication that Ren really enjoys it. It's the moment when he loses himself completely and becomes a wild beast once again.

Kylo groans, shudder, for a moment tightens the grip in Hux’s hair and finishes into his mouth.

Hux looks at him, pulls away just a bit to allow the rest of Kylo's sperm to hit his lips and chin. He does that for a show —to be as porny as he could—but it also turns Hux on. The lower part of Hux's body is on fire. He gathers the come from his face with two fingertips, purposely smearing it, then he slowly licks his fingers looking Kylo in the eyes.

Kylo's face has a perfect awed expression. He holds Hux by his shoulders and leads Hux up to his face. That way Hux fully lays on top of Kylo. Their lips meet and Kylo licks the remnants of his own seed from Hux's face. Caught up in the moment, Hux doesn't stop that weird man from lapping at his mouth and savors Kylo's all-consuming attention. Kylo deepens the kiss, and Hux finds himself rutting on his hip.

"Oh, babe," Kylo moans, "I got you."

Then, without any warning, Kylo moves down simultaneously lifting him up and turning him over. Hux finds himself on his belly, with his ass in the air and with Kylo between his legs placing kisses on his asscheeks.

"No!' Hux protest with all confidence he can muster in such position.

"Are you sure?" Kylo asks, not stopping kissing him, moving dangerously and inevitably close to his rim.

"Yes," Hux lies. Kylo is too good at that, and Hux entertains a thought of staying in bed with him and working from home before lunch.

"Yeah?" Kylo taunts and pushes his tongue inside Hux.

Hux generally is not a fan of such close inspection of his most intimate parts. He stopped allowing his one-night stands to do that. Objectively, you need a certain level of trust to do that, and, in his experience, people treat it either as permission for anal or as a bargaining chip for a return favor, and Hux did that for only one man in his life.

But when Kylo did that for the first time, Hux hadn't tried to stop him. It happened naturally. And Kylo performed it as he did everything else in his life — passionately and uncontrollably as if he wants to consume Hux.

"Kylo, I'm serious," Hux's voice and a small moan doesn't indicate it, but he managed to put some distance between himself and Kylo's mouth, "We'll be late. And we were late yesterday."

"We are the bosses. We can be late. We can not come at all if we want," says Kylo. When Hux turns to face him, he is making an exaggerated pout.

"Kylo Ren, you have an understanding of what it's like to be a boss, like a five-year-old," Hux moves from the bed not taking his eyes from him. Kylo is like a spoiled cat — he can jump on you at every second. "And we are not bosses. Not yet."

It's hard to fight a smile back, and Hux quickly turns around and dashes to the bathroom. He is embarrassed to admit it, even for himself, but it's really tempting to surrender and let Kylo worship his body.

Hux enters the shower stall. But he hadn't even turned on the water when Kylo opens the glass door and crowds him to the wall from behind.

“You can’t run away from me, babe,” Kylo murmurs into his neck.

Hux decides not to resist. It'll quicker to capitulate and take a shower together.

"You can stay, but you’ll wash me."

"Yes, my general."

He turns the water on and melts under Kylo's fingers massaging his shoulders. Then he turns around and allows Kylo to cover his chest with a lemon-grass scented soap.

Kylo's fingers are warm, and Hux likes that peculiar state between being relaxed and aroused. But when Kylo moves his hands under Hux's waistline he can't stay silent.

"Hey, I told you..."

"We still have time for a bit of fun, if you help me," Kylo interrupts his protests "I call it multitasking."

Hux detests the whole idea of multitasking — usually, it means that neither task is done right. He opens his mouth to cite the article he's read recently on this topic but stops himself. Why bother if that brat, won't stop until he has what he wants? And Hux, if he is honest with himself, wants that too.

Hux turns around, pours himself some soup and starts cleaning Kylo’s chest and his hard as rock abs, while Kylo strokes Hux’s hardening length with his huge hand.

It's nice and it makes Hux hold back his sharp inhales, but they really must take a shower first. They can go for a quick wank after they finish with cleaning, right before rinsing themselves.

"Turn around. I need to soap your back," Hux says, slightly pushing the man away.

"Yes, sir. I'm happy to serve, General Hux, sir," Kylo says. But instead of facing the white tiled wall, he draws Hux for a kiss.

"Turn," Hux orders when their lips part. It's barely a whisper, and to reiterate his point, he pushed Kylo's shoulder to urge him.

Washing the back of Kylo Ren is an exquisite pleasure. It's big, strong with visible muscles and small moles all over it. Hux appreciates touching it greatly. He can’t imagine how he’ll live without that, all of that, without Kylo, when they are back in the US.

Such thoughts upset Hux and he drives them away by concentrating on the task in hand. He adds more soap, rubs his hands creating a soft foam, and moves them on Kylo's buttocks, kneading them lightly.

"Mmm," Kylo moans. It's low and deep, closer to a purr.

"You like that?" Hux chuckles.

"Yeah. What does that surprise you? I like you. I like when you touch me. Everywhere."

Hux comes closer, actually touching Kylo's back with his chest. The image of huge and strong Kylo allowing that and mewling under Hux's hands is heady. It makes Hux press his mouth over his shoulder and bump their hips, touching Kylo’s butt with his hard cock.

"I have an idea," Kylo says half-turning to face Hux, "You can lube my thighs with soap and fuck them."

Hux makes a short surprised laugh. Kylo can't possibly be serious. What are they? Teens left alone for the first time together for a brief couple of minutes?

But when their gaze meets, all jabs die before they can leave Hux's mouth. All he can do is slowly nod, then suck on Kylo's shoulder blade, while stroking the soft inner sides of his legs.

"Hold your legs together," he commands and pushes his cock between them when Kylo does that.

It's different. The feelings aren't particularly mind-blowing, the pressure isn't enough, and soap isn't that slick. But everything else drives Hux crazy — Kylo's fingers on the tip of his cock, his loud exhales, taste of his clean and wet skin, the understanding that it's Kylo, his Kylo, whom Hux knows for so long, with whom he will spend the rest of the working day in office, being respectful professionals.

Hux's coming hard and moaning nonsense into Kylo's back. Then he finds Kylo’s lips and kisses him until both of their alarms are screaming in the bedroom.

* * *

Everything is great in the office. Their team is working as if they are Olympic bobsledders who trained together since childhood. And yes, even though Hux is still nervous after last week’s crisis, their project is going great too. Even Mr. Snoke phoned them and recognized their achievements. Then he astonished Hux by telling them that there was a high possibility of finishing early and immediately going back to NYC’s HQ for the next stage of development.

It’s good.

It’s excellent.

It, probably, means a hefty bonus or even a pay raise.

Although knowing the old scrooge they can get just verbal praise. Anyway, the success will look good on his resume. And Millie is missing him. And too much sun is not good for Hux’s skin.

On the other hand, Kylo’s touches are very good for his skin, and his mood, and his general well-being. Returning back to the States will mean that they should stop having whatever they have now under the hot sun of Crait. And they didn’t even get as far as the main course, moving as slow as two blushing virgins.

Hux, knowing himself pretty well, isn't even surprised that he is catastrophically overthinking it. He wants Kylo. He's sure of that, but he isn’t even sure if he wants to move faster. Honestly, even now it’s the best sex he’s ever had. And he appreciates every second of it. He hadn't felt that way with any partner, not physically nor mentally. Not even with Revan.

Maybe what they have now is enough for a summer fling? Maybe that's why Kylo doesn't ask for more?

Then, how much better would something more be? Right?

And what if Kylo doesn’t want more, doesn’t like that or doesn’t want more with Hux. That can be the true reason. Not every person is into penetration. He could speak with Kylo about it, but why ask if it could spoil that tender and fragile thing they have? No, Hux won't jeopardize what they already have with his greed.

Hux thinks about asking Phasma for advice—mostly at night when Kylo is already snoring at his side, and Hux's crazy but powerful brain keeps him awake. But for that he must admit that he fucks with Kylo, sleeps with Kylo, and— _ by the way, Phasm, the closest person I have to a friend, I totally forgot to mention it earlier _ —technically is officially married to Kylo. She’d never stop teasing him. It’s already more than enough that they will have to continue to work with Kylo side by side, if Phasma finds out, both his work life and social life will turn to a constant reminder of that respite in his private paradise.

Another option is to ask the great and wise Internet for help. Hux imagines how it can look like: “I(M34) have a crush on my friend(M28) who is also my co-worker, husband and in two weeks he’ll be my ex-husband. We have a great time together sex-wise, but I want his dick inside my ass (or mine inside his, but mostly his inside mine). Do not judge me, because he has a magnificent dick. I don’t have photos, but believe it’s the best dick. Please help. TL;DR I’m the happiest person in the world but it’d end soon, and I’ll be a mess.”

Hux smiles thinking about all the memes this post can create if it goes viral. He could be an internet star for a day. Maybe even Ren will find it and laugh at him. 

Alas, Hux is too smart to post it. And also too scared.

* * *

“Don’t plan anything for the weekend,” Kylo says when they are leaving their office building on Thursday.

“Okay,” answers Hux, his voice suggests that he is slightly annoyed, but he hopes that Kylo can read past that. Secretly Hux was waiting for their next trip together for the whole week, and even thought about organizing something himself, but wasn’t sure what.

“I’m serious,” and Kylo really puts an effort to sound like he is, but the corners of his mouth are turning up, “If you planned something —cancel it. From early morning on Saturday to Sunday evening you are unavailable for any calls, meetings or urgent negotiation. Even if all our codebase would be deleted you must promise me not to pay any attention to it. Pinky promise, cross your heart, and all that.”

“Should I also update my will?” Hux doesn’t look at Kylo while they are walking along the seafront promenade, because he is afraid he will smile and break character.

“Not funny, babe. Do you trust me?” he looks at Hux in such a way that Hux needs to swallow and can’t take his eyes away from Kylo’s face.

“Are you some kind of Disney prince?” the words escape his mouth before Hux can filter them.

“What?” Kylo giggles. It’s loud and long. A family with two kids turns to them, then quickly looks away, “Why?”

“Like, do you trust me, princess? Or trust me, princess! Honestly, I don’t remember,”  _ such interesting pavement. Hmm, they have nice flowers over there. I haven’t seen them before. Everything is so fascinating if I don’t look Ren in the eyes. _

“Oh,” even without looking Hux can tell that Kylo keeps smiling “Oh, in that way.”

They make it a dozen feet in awkward silence. It’s the same road they walk every day. It’s quite crowded in the evening but it gives the best view of the sunset, the sea, and the red castle on the hill. For such a view, Hux can ignore screaming children and annoying street performers.

“So I am a prince, huh?” Ren asks when the pause became too long.

Hux opens his mouth to deny that. That’s definitely not what he said and not what he meant. The stupid phrase is just too cliche. But he doesn’t get a chance to explain that.

“I can show you the world,” Ren starts singing. Right in the middle of the street. Among vacationers, a group of German senior citizens, couples of all ages and colors, families with children and dogs.  _ This can’t be happening! _ “Shining, shimmering splendid.”

His voice is not perfect, but that doesn’t matter because no one in Hux’s entire life has sung to him. It’s embarrassing, and people are looking at them, but it’s also super cute.

“Don’t you dare close your eyes — kinda creepy but sing with me, Hux—A whole new world.”

“You are an idiot, Kylo Ren, you know that?” but there is no anger in Hux’s voice.

“Yeah? And what does it make you, Armitage?” Kylo looks at him, and Hux can swear he is actually close to melting right there in the street. “No one can tell us no, or where to go...”

“Okay-okay. You won! No plans for the weekend,” Hux says because either that or he will kiss this idiot, no matter who can see them, “Just stop singing, I will do as you want.”

“That’s right, babe,” Kylo grins and places a small kiss on top of his head.

If it’s a dream, Hux doesn’t want to wake up.

* * *

“It’s time to wake up, Hux,” Kylo whispers in his ear, softly touching it with his lips.

“No!” Hux turns on his belly and covers his head with a pillow.

“Our flight is in half an hour and you need to open your eyes now, or we’ll miss it.”

Kylo didn’t mention either where they are going or even what time is their flight, because he wanted to make a surprise, and he was sure that Hux would guess it.

“Great. Let’s miss it. And stay in bed for the whole weekend,” he grumbles but opens his eyes. It’s still dark. And Kylo is already dressed in another funny t-shirt—”Don’t hurry Be happy” with a smiling sloth — and looks fresh.

“It’s tempting,” Kylo says while giving Hux his clothes, and helps him put them on “But we have plans. I promise you, it’s worth it. Move faster, babe”

“I’ll be ready in a minute. Just don’t sing,” Hux closes the bathroom door behind him. He doesn’t get when Ren decided that it's acceptable to call him “babe”. Hux generally doesn’t like pet names. It seems like the person doesn’t remember his name, but for some reason, he’s never corrected Ren.

They leave their apartment in a couple of minutes after that with only one small—Kylo's—suitcase. And Hux didn’t even pack it. Ren sent him a list of things he needs to prepare if you can call two nice shirts and everything you need for a long city walk a list. Before closing the door Ren puts in Hux's free hands a reusable cup of tea with their corporate logo, and a paper bag with pastries. When Hux opens it in the taxi, he is pleasantly surprised — it's his favorite. Where did Kylo even find it that early in the morning?

Even when they arrive at the airport Kylo doesn't tell him their destination. He uses his phone for him and Hux to pass checks.

"Are you going to tell me?" Hux asks at the airport shop, looking through cheap souvenirs. He spots a t-shirt "I survived Crait," and thinking of buying it on their way back to NYC. 

"Nope. It's called a surprise for a reason."

"What if security or border control asks me where I'm going?" it didn’t bother Hux before he said it but know he starts to worry.

"Babe, give me your ear," he leans to it, then bites it. It's not painful, but Hux didn't expect it. "No. I told you it was a surprise. And no one will ask. Spoiler for you, if you must know. We aren't leaving the Schengen zone, no one will check us, and no one cares."

"And," his voice is low, and he keeps putting small kisses on Hux's neck. "If someone asks, just tell them that we are newlyweds and send them to me. Maybe they will upgrade us or give us some shit."

Hux isn't sure if it’s Kylo's kisses or his words but suddenly the airport seems too hot and his slacks too tight. 

Ren brings him to the gates with eyes covered by his hands. Only there Hux finds out that they are flying to Paris.

It’s cheesy.

It’s a cliche.

And it doesn't… well, it doesn’t matter, because Hux is delighted.

All the way from the airport Hux can’t stop smiling. He is a wonderful mood after he slept on the plane. He didn’t even use pills, just fell asleep on Kylo’s broad chest, and woke up to hours later when they landed.

When they stop in front of the building Hux cackles. There is a front double door in art nouveau style with a flowery pattern in black metal curls. And right above that door is written in golden letters "Le Général".

“Very funny, Ren,” he says with a smirk.

“I know,” response Kylo with a warm smile, unflustered by Hux’s tone “That’s why I chose it.”

Kylo leaves him sitting on a fancy uncomfortable sofa in a lobby, while he goes to reception. Hux looks and the interior, materials, stained glass ceiling, and people wear expensive suits, designer dresses, and jewelry. He earns enough but not that much to just throw away a hefty amount for two days stay in such a place. It seems that Kylo forgot that not everyone has moneybags for parents.

But when Kylo comes back, with his puppy eyes, Hux can’t bring himself to ruin that day for him. They can solve all money problems when this business trip is over.

In the lift, Kylo covers Hux’s eyes again before pressing the floor button.

“Is that necessary?” Hux asks but not very annoyed, because Kylo’s second hand is caressing his butt.

“Yes. I want to sweep you off your feet.”

The lift opens but Kylo doesn’t uncover his eyes and guides him somewhere. Hux starts suspecting that he does it only to paw him and bump their hips together. Not that he opposes that.

But even when they enter the room Kylo doesn't take his hand from Hux’s face.

“Hey, are you planning to show me where we are, or you are going to keep me blindfolded for the whole weekend?”

“And you are against that?” Kylo asks in a husky voice, “Don’t worry, babe. We are almost there. Shut your eyes shut and give me your hands.”

Hux obeyed mostly out of curiosity, and Kylo puts his hands on metal door handles. They feel like they are in the same style as the front door, also with sharp thin curves.

“Open the door.” He helps Hux to do that, ”Now open your eyes.”

Hux is speechless. He is standing at the entrance at the small balcony with a round table for two is covered with a crisp white tablecloth. A bowl of strawberries, a basket of croissants, and a teapot are standing there. A metal basket of ice with a bottle of champagne and two glasses is standing nearby. And right in front of him are rooftops, green trees and a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. 

“What’s your verdict, my general?” Kylo asks from behind his back.

“You shouldn’t… That’s… Kylo...” Hux can’t express what he feels. It’s so nice so thoughtful, so way over the top, so he wants to laugh and cry, kiss Kylo and berate him at the same time. He makes a long inhale. “That’s very nice, Kylo.”

“Very nice?” Kylo whispers seductively.

“Yes,” Hux turns around and kiss him deeply and passionately, sucking on his lips, and practically licking the insides of his mouth with his tongue.

“It is a very nice surprise, Kylo,” he repeats when they split to restore their breath.

Hux is pretty sure that's it's the first time he drinks champagne for breakfast. It was light champagne but after one glass the idea of leaving their room and their king size bed doesn't feel right.

"Don't even think about it," Kylo tells him after looking at his face. “I didn’t make the same mistake as the last time, and planned only the bare minimum, leaving plenty of time to spend with you and without clothes, babe”

"Plenty? I don't think so,"  _ especially because we only have two weeks left together, and only if we are lucky to fail the next week's presentation. _

"I love your enthusiasm, babe, but," Kylo makes a pleading face "I really want to visit these museums. I promise you we will be in and out. Then take these funny electric scooters and be back in the bed in a bed in short order. Your pretty little ass won't even have time to miss this." and he gently slaps the said ass.

It's not quick, not quick at all. Kylo claims he has a priority entrance in the Louvre for 10 am, but they wait in the square under ruthless sun in the line of people with the exact same tickets till ten minutes before eleven. Hux does enjoy the art, but all the statues are a distant second compared to the man near him. In one of the most famous museums in the world, with the greatest collection, Kylo Ren is the main showpiece.

"If you lived in Ancient Rome, they would have respected you as a deity," Hux blurts out near a particularly Ren-like statue.

“What?”

“You heard me,” Hux says, and feels that his cheeks are getting hotter. But when he looks at Kylo and sees that his face is pink he smiles.

"His name is 'Dying Slave'" Kylo continues his lecture. He knows surprisingly a lot about the art pieces, artists and what all of these are supposed to mean. "There must a smaller copy of it on the next floor."

Hux like the Orsay more. The building is nicer and less crowded, the glass ceiling gives a lot of natural light and painting are more alive. Even a person with, mildly saying, scarce knowledge of art knows some of them. It's all lovely and great, but he’d prefer to spend time spooning with Ren on the sofa in his New York apartment.

He remembers the names of a couple of artists and the saying that he heard somewhere that this period in art history shaped our current views on beauty in a lot of ways. But Kylo could work as a guide there and he tries not to bore Hux.

"It's easy if you see ballerinas you say Degas, if someone asks about Degas, you nod and says that his ballerinas are gorgeous."

"Paul Gauguin is all about bright colors and half-naked native women. We can safely assume that he liked his time in Tahiti"

"And then there is our everything Van Gogh. I've been to his museum in Amsterdam five years ago, and it was mind-blowing. I swear I could see how the paintings were moving."

"How come you know so much about art?" Hux ask when Kylo stopped explaining to him about the Paul Cézanne's contribution into study of color, shapes and human vision.

"Emm," Kylo scratches his neck. "I studied Art History in college."

"What?" Hux read his resume, and there was nothing about art. Kylo has a Computer Science degree according to it.

"Yeah, I wasn't in a good place after my sophomore year. There were a lot of things, but I felt like my family pressured me to go into technology after my uncle and grandfather, and I found the furthest thing from that."

Hux doesn't prompt him and he continues after the move to the next must-see artwork. "It was unusual, but my uncle supported me. He told me that my family always has my back, whatever I decide to do in life. He even encouraged me to try to draw myself."

"And?"

"I sucked. I was not only bad in it, but I was also bored to death after a couple of lessons. And with Art history... I felt the same, so I decided that the problem was not in my major. When I came back to programming, we had a team project. That was when I understood that I like to manage a team more than coding. And Art History is still my hobby. The end."

“I didn’t know that,” Hux mumbles.

“Maybe it’s because of your ‘no personal talk’ rule,” Kylo says. He doesn’t look at Hux to concentrated on the painting of happy people dining amidst bright colors. But his voice sounds sad and accusing. Just a bit, but Hux catches that.

“Kylo,” Hux doesn’t know what to say, but he is sure that he needs to say something, anything.

Ren turns to face him, but Hux lost every word. What can he say, except that he is a socially inept person who can’t communicate? That should be self evidentiary by now.

“Anyway,” Ren says before Hux decides how to continue “Now you do.”

“And Hux?” he looks Hux in the eyes, ”You can start to tell me more about you. Or ask. If you want,” he bothers his own lips “I won’t bite. Unless you ask.”  
  


* * *

To Hux’s horror, Kylo didn’t joke about taking an electric scooter. These bigger versions of popular children’s transport are all over Paris, and Kylo, for some reason really wants to try them.

“We are IT people, we need to be on top of technological innovations,” he explains installing the app.

“It’s not an innovation, it’s the same old thing but now it’s electric and brings money.”

“Don’t be grumpy. I bet I won’t live long enough to see it in New York. So let me test it here.”

Hux can’t say no to the man who bends over backwards for making their fleeting time together with the thought that it is all it can be because Kylo is already bored with him.

But fifteen minutes later, they haven’t set up the app for Hux. The one that works doesn’t have scooters nearby, and the app that has doesn’t accept his card.

“Kylo, you must be crazy,” he must because what he is suggesting is insane.

“I saw people who did that, and our hotel only five minutes drive from here.”

“I saw them too. Two slender girls, right?”

Kylo gives him his signature smile and says “Please, babe,” and Hux knows he has lost this one. They argue just a bit more, so Kylo won’t assume he has any influence on him, but Hux agrees.

Then he spends the next six minutes of his life, holding on tight to Ren’s chest, hiding his face in Ren’s back so he won’t see how they overtake cars on the narrow streets, riding one small scooter together.

When they arrive at the hotel Kylo insists on carrying Hux in his arms bridal style from the lift to their door. Hux especially enjoys the part when Kylo refuses to put him down to open the door. He even sucks on Kylo’s ear, while he fumbles with the key-card, to make it even more difficult.

They cross the threshold but instead of finally putting him on the floor, Kylo brings him to the bed. Only there he puts Hux on his back, and start slowly kissing him. He savors Hux’s mouth like an exquisite dessert while trying to unbutton his shirt.

Hux bring his hands to Kylo’s t-shirt, but Kylo gently sweeps them away.

“Shh, babe, I’ll take care of everything. Just lay there and be pretty,” he kisses Hux’s knuckles. Hux should be insulted by such a statement, reprimand Kylo for talking to him like that, but he feels warmth in his chest and just smiles.

Hux can get used to such treatment, it’s nice for a chance to relax and cease all the control. During the years of being single, he’s rarely been taken care of, not that he needed that. Even when he was in a relationship, he knew that if he wanted it to be pleasant he needed to do most of the job himself.

Ren is teasing him for what feels like hours, leaving him hanging on the edge. It’s when Hux is on all fours, completely naked and Kylo is rimming him, he finally gives up.

“Please,” he moans “please, Kylo.”

“What Hux?” he stops licking him only to say those words, then he goes back to business.

“Don’t make me beg...just...please...” the sentences are not forming in his head, and a constant need to moan isn’t helping him.

“What, baby?” Ren says, snarling the words out between panting inhales. “I’ll give you everything.”

“I want you...I need you... please,” I need you now. Please, please, please!

“You have me, Hux. I’m all yours,” and that horrible man licks a long strip on Hux’s thigh making his whole body shudder.

“Inside me,” Hux begs “I need you inside me. Now. If you are okay with it.”

“Okay with it?” Kylo’s voice is a mix of surprise and delight.

Hux turn his head around to see his smug expression, but he sees a warm smile instead. Hux nods frantically.

“Oh baby, I thought you’d never ask.” Kylo continues teasing Hux’s rim between phrases, drawing a whine from Hux. “Stay here! Don’t move.”

He jumps from the bed, runs to his bag and fetches a small package with condoms and lube. It’s good that one of them came prepared. Hux does have a small bottle of lube somewhere in their Craitian apartment, but he didn’t even assume that they would need it on the weekend. What a fool!

When Kylo returns to the bed, he flips Hux on his back.

“I want to see your face,” he explains. “Grab your legs for me, babe.”

At that point, Hux can only nod in response and obey. But he wants to see Kylo’s face too. Now and all the time.

Kylo’s lubed finger easily slips inside him and shudders when it brushes on his prostate. He covers his face and shuts his eyes. It’s already too intense. He can’t even remember when was the last time someone prepared him.

The second finger follows and Hux know he can’t wait any longer.

“I’m ready, Kylo. Just do it.”

Kylo kisses him, pulls away to put a condom on, gives his dick a couple of strokes and slicks up it. He lines it with Hux’s hole and slowly pushes it inside. The stretching is a bit strong, but Hux’s likes it. Maybe Kylo’s dick is the biggest he had inside him, but he has a couple of toys back at home that are even bigger.

When Kylo is fully inside him, he looks up at his face.

Hux nods sharply instead of answering the unspoken question and Kylo slowly begins to move. They breathe unsteadily, whine and moan each other’s names. Hux hooks his legs on his waist and puts his hands on his neck. Their faces are almost touching and Kylo’s long hair covers the view of anything else in the room. It’s like Kylo is the only one in the whole world. 

He goes limp under Kylo when his orgasm strikes his body like electricity, and Kylo comes shortly after. But they continue making out, placing soft kisses on each other lips and necks, until almost falling asleep wrapped over each other. 

“You can ask me for anything, Hux. And I’ll gladly give it to you,” Kylo whispers to drowsy Hux whose head is lying on his chest. ”You know that, right?”

Hux falls asleep while Kylo’s fingers still gently comb his hair. The next day he’s not sure if dreamed it.

They skipped the tour to the Palace of Versailles the next day. 

Don’t even leave their room until it’s time to go back to the airport.

Hux doesn’t want to waste even a second of what they have left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters will be short, updates will be regular!
> 
> If you like it, your comments/kudos are always welcomed and appreciated!
> 
> Thanks to [@spiteandmalice ](https://twitter.com/spiteandmalice) for turning my writing into undestandacle and coherent text!
> 
> This fic is a rework of my twitter-fic inspired by a prompt from [Fru Hallbera ](https://twitter.com/FHallbera) "kylux, fluff, business trip and accidental marriage"
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://mysticmilkshakesublime.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/mystic_milks) don't hesitate to ask me anything  
> And now I have [curiousCat](https://curiouscat.me/mystic_milks) where you can ask me anonymously
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you like this one, you can check my other fics - wip -[drop the curtain, blow out the candles ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17462159)  
> wip -[you are burned up before you know it ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17705078)  
> and finished, moder-au [Up All Night ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18018218/)


	7. Week six

It's the third working day of the sixth week of their business trip, and Hux swears that it feels like he is back in college again.

The most important presentation, the key event of their business trip is going to happen on Thursday. It's the main reason they are spending company money in this Mediterranean paradise. The outcome of it will determine the remaining duration of their stay and the future of SKB.

Kylo is the one who’ll do the show part, but both of them were equally involved in the preparation for months. And now, when it’s all at the finish line, they create slides together, rehearse and cross-question each other.

And all of that on top of their regular responsibilities. On the bright side, Hux has a schedule, and he meticulously planned everything. But he allocated neither time nor resources for their passioned sex or tender moments of intimacy. 

They even sacrificed their lunches outside in favor of ordering in and locking themselves in the small meeting room with printouts, schemes, and spicy soups.

The only indulgence that Hux allows himself to have during working hours is a brief kiss when no one is watching. It's too risky, he knows that. They might easily be caught by their co-workers. But he can't bring himself to care — they are running out of time, and he wants to savor every last second of it.

They stay late each day. And only when it's dark outside, they grab takeout Chinese and go home, where they can headily make out, eat already cold meals, work even more and only then finally retire to their shared bed.

Hux eats greasy food, is preparing for the  _ test _ all day and fucking all night — exactly as he remembers his first three years of college. But the linens are better. And Kylo is a much better lover than Revan had even been.

_ When you allow yourself to relax and feel happy, and safe and enjoy life, it means that something horrendously bad is going to happen _ , Hux knows that. That's why he's always vigilant, always planning ten steps ahead, always ready for the worst to happen.

And that's exactly why Hux finds himself mildly surprised that he isn't nervous sitting in their kitchen on Thursday morning. The sun of late August is pleasantly heating his face through the open window. The pastries, that Kylo brought him as a surprise, are as delicious as he remembers. He was secretly missing them, on those weeks when they replaced lazy breakfast for lazy blowjobs. But today somehow Kylo’s managed to give him both. And now the most handsome man alive is sipping coffee half-naked in front of him.

Hux is perfectly happy now.

Maybe for once, everything can be nice and easy?

_ I should do something nice for Ren. Maybe cook for him someday, or buy merchandise from one of his nerdy shows. He is planning something for the weekend again, and I’m losing in the fake husband game _ , Hux contemplates, when he hears a vibration from the phone in Ren's hands. He wouldn't have probably noticed it if his own phone on the kitchen counter hasn't buzzed simultaneously.

"What's that?" he asks studying Kylo's slightly frowning face.  _ Damn, Kylo, why do you have such expressive features? _

"It's from Snoke," he curses, frowns even more, says angrily, "I think he wants us to amend the presentation. I'll call and tell him that..."

Hux doesn't listen and dashes for his own phone, and opens the mail app. The email is long and vague and has more attached files that can fit the screen. Hux skims through it, then checks all the files, while Kylo keeps swearing, and promising to buy a ticket for the next flight, so he can personally tell Snoke what and where he will shove him, before actually doing so.

Hux looks at him and can help but snicker.

"What?" Kylo snarls and turns to face him, "What's so funny, Hux?" he asks in a calmer tone.

"Nothing. I've just never have seen you like that."

"Like what?" he rumbles. It's low, laced with barely controlled rage, and must be threatening. Instead, it turns Hux on. He can definitely can use this passion when they are back home tonight.

"Firstly, I've seen you angry but not angry and without your shirt at the same time. That definitely improves the whole performance," he smiles at Kylo. Hux hopes that he looks and sounds seductive now. Kylo smiles back, a bit shyly. "Secondly, you're always mad about someone else's performance. After five years of working together, you didn't strike me as a man who cares what others thought about him."

"If I don't show that to you, it doesn’t mean that I don't care," he mumbled.

"True, true," Hux steps away from the counter, comes to Kylo, goes around him and hugs his waist from behind. "Calm down, big boy. It's my job to be nervous. And thirdly, that's not the end of the world. His amendments aren't that critical. We have a great team here, they know what they are doing, and we have time to fix everything. And if not, we can leave it like that, and deal with Snoke later."

"Who are you and what've you done to  _ my _ Hux?" Kylo says turning around and lightly biting Hux’s cheek.

Hux is rather proud of himself and how he handled the situation while his baby boy Kylo was close to throwing a tantrum. He'll unquestionably tease Kylo for that after they ace the presentation and both get a pay raise. Now they don't have time for that, running around the apartment and packing their laptops, notes, and outfits that they will change into before the meeting—even Hux doesn't want to be overheated wearing it for the whole day.

They get to the office building an hour before the official start of the working day. Hux feels the pleasant mix of excitement, nervous trepidation, and a firm belief that together they can achieve anything. 

At an elevator, he gets out his phone of the pocket to check if their favorite boss sent them more notes. There no more emails. Good, they can work with that. He absentmindedly opens twitter to check if the world is its regular state of dysfunction. Yes, it obviously is. A famous rapper, the one that Hux has never heard about before, said some sexist bullshit, people far from here are striking against the corrupt government, that everyone else but them have known was corrupt for decades, the new faceswap-de-aging-filter app is trending, "Arkanis-pizza" is poisoned.

"What?" he exclaims out loud.

"What, babe?" Kylo asks, his voice alarmed "What does that ancient crook want from us again?"

Hux ignores him, and Ren bends over his shoulder to read from Hux's screen.

Hux examine the tweet once again — the production of his favorite frozen pizza is under investigation due to level of E. coli-something-something ten times higher than regulated, and boxes from all over the country are going to be recalled. He closes the app and calls Phasma. Ren keeps asking something, but Hux silences him with a hand gesture, listening to the long beeps.

When Phasma doesn't pick up the phone, Hux finally looks at Ren, who gives him a cup of tea. They are in the lounge area, where Ren must have guided him and seated him on a sofa.

"Can you explain why you are calling Phasma in the middle of the night in New York after reading news about that shitty pizza?" 

"Two colorful boxes of that shitty pizza must be in my freezer," he mutters in response "if Phasma hasn’t eaten them, and isn’t lying on his floor dead with Millie, who's also dead because Phie always feeds her from the table."

"Are you joking right now?" Ren huffs in response until he sees Hux’s face. “Hey, don’t be silly, babe. It's Phasma we are talking about. She wouldn't eat a frozen pizza, even if she decided, for unexplainable reasons, to eat your food.”

Hux's brain provides him carefully preserved memories of him and Phasma drinking way too many Cosmos and ending up eating fries and churros together, dipping potatoes in chocolate and sweet dough in ketchup and giggling like crazy. Okay, maybe memories weren't preserved that carefully and he was the one who did it, but Phasma was there and someone definitely ate that nasty food.

Hux tries to explain that to Ren, but he only brushes that off.

"Look, here's Phasma's Instagram. Her latest story was posted two hours ago — one of the unfortunate souls who fell for her had brought her to Canto Bight." Ren says showing Hux photo from the trendy restaurant with a panoramic view of the city. "She won't go to your place to eat pizza and poison your cat, okay? Can we concentrate on fixing our presentation or plotting how to get rid of Snoke and get away with it?"

Hux promises himself and Ren that he’ll calm down, and won’t get crazy due to the things that are out of his control. He can do that. He’s done that countless amount of times.

When Hux straightens up and inspects his face after splashing it with cold water for the third time, the reflection in the mirror looks like a deranged person. He looks like a man who was running from the imaginary police force for writing a revolutionary slogan on the walls of the abandoned building. Half-manic, half-exhaustion. 

He cringes from the sight of his own face. It's crimson with heinous white spots, crazy eyes and his breathing is heavy. Thankfully the door to the restroom, where he is currently hiding is lockable. Hux couldn't explain what has happened if anyone would have opened it and found him here.

He was almost okay, concentrated on the work in hand, then said to Ren that he’d be back in a minute. Then was a short journey to a coffee machine where he met Finn.

“Hey, is Ren prepared for the big battle today? Blah-blah-blah. It’s a very important meeting if you, my superior, didn’t guess it yourself. Blah-blah-blah. Hutts-inc is a difficult client. I know that because I’m such a good worker who read info from the first page of google search results. So it’s your last week, what are you planning for the weekend? Yeah, if Ren’s speech would be a success he told us he won’t be in the office after the next week. And we all believe he will crush them.”

Hux almost snarled at the poor lad. He strode back to the meeting room, where Ren was waiting for him, stopped halfway, check the last edits from Snoke, realised that he wants to scream like Ren had done in the morning and went to the restroom.

And that’s the story how Hux, 34-years old successful computer science engineer, the Architect in a major game dev firm, found himself locked in the small bathroom splashing his face and failing to calm down.

Hux wonders absentmindedly what is wrong with him today. He always put his career first in his life. That was one of the main reasons his previous relationship fell apart if his ex was for once honest with him. Yet today he feels torn apart. He knows that he needs to do his best, or the whole FO-games would be in danger, but if the customers like them, his and Kylo's fake—but so wonderful—honeymoon will be over.

And that’s why he doesn’t do relationships. Uncontrollable. It only adds chaos to the world with tough clients, poisoned pizza, and unreliable transport.

His phone chimes multiple times, that was unprofessional to ignore it. He braces his wet hands on the counter, inhales deeply and gives himself ten more minutes to come to his senses.

He deserved ten minutes of crushing panic after years of immaculate work.

He's startled when he hears someone banging at the door. He wipes his face with a paper towel and opens his mouth to order whoever is on the other side of the door to wait. 

"Hux, are you here?" he hears a familiar desperate whisper, barely audible through the door.

Hux contemplates if he should pretend that he's not here. After all, he could have left for important business matters, or he could have a weak stomach, and he's not capable to answer.

"Open the door, Hux" Kylo bangs louder, "Or I swear I'll knock it down. Hux! I'm serious. I worry about you. Please."

Hux sighs, he's not a child, he can't hide here all day. He reluctantly lets Kylo in. Kylo gives him a silent once-over and locks the door after himself.

"What is going on, Hux?" he says looking Hux in the eyes, "Presentation is almost in an hour. Snoke driving me crazy with his mind games. And then you disappear. What should I think? It's you, Hux, you are always prepared, you always know what to do, and now this...some pizza breaks you? We don't have time for that now, but I already texted Rey to go to Phasma's gym when it opens." 

Hux listens to his frustrated tone, to his barely hidden contempt, and berates himself for being stupid and useless. He doesn't answer and doesn't look at Kylo's face. He tries to will himself back into being the robot he is famous to be. He fails. But he swallows a whine, and that's a victory.

"Is it because of what I said earlier? About this presentation being the most important thing?" Kylo's voice changes, now it's barely a whisper. He steps closer and draws Hux to his chest.

"Hux?" Kylo murmurs into his hair.

Hux leans into his warmth, into the promise of protection, into his frame that can cover him from the whole world. He doesn't cry but he shudders in Kylo's arms. He kisses Ren's jaw, while Ren draws soothing cycles on his back.

"I just can't anymore, Ren."

"It's okay Hux, it's okay."

"I need to... I need to... I need..." he keeps repeating it, not brave enough to finish that easy sentence.

"We can't be here," whispers Kylo. "You can't be seen like that. Don't talk, just follow me."

"Kylo," Hux pleads not sure for what.

"Do what I say!" he says quietly but firmly, and it's nothing left for Hux to do than to nod.

He follows Kylo through the narrow hallway to the last door in the dead end, where no one can see them.

Hux's brain registers that this is the server room. Kylo unlocks it with a key. And they enter a small space, with two rows of server cabinets. The room is full of a low humming and the blinking of green and yellow lights.

Hux doesn't have time to wonder what they are doing, or if Kylo is going to lock him in here, so he doesn't embarrass him in front of the clients before Kylo pushes him against the wall, into the small space between the server cabinet and the door.

Before Hux manages to ask him anything, Kylo presses him to it with his body. They are chest to chest, both breathing heavily.

“Kylo, please,” Hux shamelessly grinds their hips. Kylo's smell is intoxicating. His panic transforms into lust, as uncontrollable and as brain consuming.

“I got you, babe,” Kylo reached between their bodies, slides his hand into Hux's slacks, squeezes his cock and jerks it roughly.

“We don’t have time for that,” Hux whines, and doesn't stop fucking into Kylo's fist.

“We do. Don’t flatter yourself, honey.”

“It’s going to be messy,” he protests with his last working brain cell. 

Kylo smiles, it's downright wicked, pushes him harder into the wall and covers Hux's mouth with his other hand. It's a bit too hard, but for some insane reason that's exactly what he craves right now. 

“Nod when you are close,” Kylo instructs.

Hux completely zones out, and concentrates on feeling, on Ren's warm hand, his body, the feeling of being pleased and used at the same time, on Kylo's hoarse voice mumbling nonsense into his ear.

"That's right, babe."

"You will feel so good."

"Poor tired Hux, you need someone to help you."

"I will take proper care of you."

Hux realizes that he's on the edge, and nods and hums over Ren's hand, his hips moving even faster.

Kylo removes both hands, and Hux whines on the lost of contact.

But he sees that Kylo drops to his knees. His warm mouth takes his dick inside.

Hux shivers and trembles with each movement and he bites his own hand to keep silent.

He comes inside Kylo's throat shortly after. He tries to pull away, but Kylo doesn't let him, pressing his hands into Hux's hipbones, and lapping at his dick.

“You see, nice and clean,” Kylo says when he's finished and looks at Hux's dick.

Hux wants to say that he’s sweaty but it’s okay, they do have a shirt for him, so he just smiles at Kylo and gives him his hands to stand up.

“Better?” 

“Yes,” Hux nods, “Thank you.”

“Any time, bro” Kylo chuckles. “Now I need you to review the final version.”

In two hours they both go to the small cloakroom, which is used for jackets during cold months. It's a bit bigger than a wardrobe, and they are taking turns to change. Hux, already in a suit knocks to see why it's taking so long.

"Come in," he hears, and really hopes that Ren is dressed because they do not have more time for fun. 

When Hux sees him, he doubts his previous wish, because Ren looks gorgeous in a business suit. Hux swallows, and thinks that Kylo can go the red carpet looking like that.

He's almost ready; he doesn't plan to wear a jacket, and he still has a tie in his hand. Kylo looks at it as if he's not sure what to do with it.

"Need help?" Hux asks.

Kylo only shrugs, so he comes closer, take it from his hand and put around his neck, carefully tying it.

“I’m your husband after all,” Hux mumbles when he's finished.

“Yes, you are,” Kylo kisses his knuckles. Hux's feels his breathing hitches. He sees that Kylo is looking at his mouth. His gaze is intense.

Ren's hands twitch a bit. 

“Are you nervous?” Hux asks incredulously.

“Of course I am.” Kylo says not taking his eyes from Hux's lips.“I’m always nervous before these things.”

“I’ve never noticed,” Hux whispers not sure what else to say.

“I’ve never noticed your thing too.” He notices Hux’s embarrassment and adds quickly, “We are humans. And partners. It’s okay to show some weakness”

Hux doesn’t think it's true. He's better when people don't know that he even has weaknesses. As if Kylo can read Hux’s mind he says.

“I’m not afraid to show you mine.”

It's tempting to ask what exactly he's talking about. Presentation? Or something else? But they can't be late.

During the presentation Hux can't help but muses on how good Kylo looks in the suit. He rarely wears it, usually preferring to wear skinny black jeans and rock band/nerdish t-shirt or his silly shirts with silly texts that are more appropriate for a rebellious teen than for a senior manager. In Ren’s defense, most of their colleagues dress the same, Hux and Snoke are the only ones who constantly wear grownup clothes. 

Ren’s speech is flawless. His answers to the questions are accurate but manipulative. When Kylo winks at him in the end, Hux knows he’s screwed. He is in love with this perfect man. Maybe he always was, from the moment he saw him during one of the company meetings where he, a newcomer at that point, suggested brazenly to restructure teams. Or during that party three years ago where Ren beat everyone in Mortal Combat? Hux can’t tell, but now when he looks back he sure it was before the Freedom Island, and before Crait.

And as with an annoying spot on the wall, you can spend years and years and never notice it, but once you did, you can’t stop seeing it.

* * *

It wasn't Hux's idea of how they should spend their limited time in this land of summer, love and of all good and nice things that concrete jungle he calls home doesn't have. But Rose was tugging his hand, Finn said that the party without them, wouldn't be a party, and Kylo squeezed his shoulder, so Hux nodded. In half an hour he found himself in a cozy bar in the non-touristy district of the city. Not that bad after all: music is quiet enough that they can actually hear each other, wine is great, and snacks—although they are deep-fried and a bit too salty for Hux's taste—are palatable.

Hux is talking with Finn about differences between renting an apartment in Europe vs the US when he turns to order more drinks and he can swear it's like in the movies. He sees Kylo across the room, near the bar, and the moment Hux looks at him, Kylo turns his head and their eyes meet. Music and noises disappear. Everything blurs. All the world ceases to exist. There is only he and Kylo, who's smiling with his perfect smile and moves to him with two glasses in his hands.

"Finn," Kylo nods as if he sees him for the first time today. His voice indicates that he's tipsy at best. "I'm going to steal my co-commander from you. We need to discuss important business issues on the terrace." And he winks at Hux. Finn must be blind to miss that.

"No problem," Finn says and gulps from his glass. Hux thinks he can see a little smile their underling is hiding there.

"We can continue this discussion later," Hux says politely, rising from his comfortable seat in a booth.

Hux comes to Ren and feels his touch on the back of his back. He hopes no one else can spot that amidst the crowd.

"Hux, I need to ask you something big," tipsy oh-my-goodness-why-you-are-so-cute-Kylo says when they are on the open terrace.

"You'll say that I'm a huge nerd and overgrown child and that we have more important things to do. I booked everything a long time ago the galaxy far far away, I mean in New York," he giggles while Hux fights back his own smile, "So, anyway, what I was saying, that I booked everything before all this, and only for one person. And I wasn't sure how good our presentation would be, so I didn't tell you all the details before. I hope it's okay."

"What are you talking about, Ren?" Hux tries and fails to sound serious. It's a hard act to pull when a big serious man, drunkenly mumbles some nonsense and rubs your sides.

"I want you to go with me to Dubrovnik. Surprise!"

Hux doesn’t understand what is going on. What is different about that place that Ren actually asks him about it, not just organizing everything and surprising Hux on Sunday morning?

Ren explains that it’s where his favorite show was filmed. The one that Hux hates when he talks about it, with dragons and zombies.

Hux can’t believe his ears, while Kylo repeats please-please-please, like a whiny baby. A week ago, he didn’t even tell Hux where are they going, and now his begging? And for what? A silly show, Kylo himself criticizes constantly.

“You know, you are a stupid big hunk, Kylo Ren,” he says not trying to hide his affection “Yes, of course, we can go.”

He doesn’t add that he would go anywhere with Ren: to Disneyland, to Seoul, to Alaska, to Detroid, even to Renaissance fair. And not because he owns him big, for earlier today. Hux doesn’t care about the place once he can hold Kylo’s hand, and hide from the whole wide world, climate change, politicians, all seven billion people in the private bubble of their happiness.

“Great. We are traveling by car. It’s almost a four-day trip. We’re leaving after at 4 pm tomorrow, and returning back on Monday around 10 pm. We’ll work remotely for a half of a day on Monday, and take the rest of the day off. Snoke is okay with it. And the team is notified.” he says quickly. He’s apparently not that tipsy and not that cute as Hux estimated, “You said yes, babe, you can’t take it back.”

The asshole tricked him!

Kylo, being the worst possible fake-husband, gives Hux information about this weekend in a small portion.

"By the way, babe, the drive is going to take us around eight hours," he whispers in bed, probably thinking that Hux is asleep.

"And there are six borders in total," he adds on their way to the meeting room.

"Six?" Hux repeats in the vain hope that Kylo is joking.

"Yeah, to exit Crait, to enter Croatia, to exit Croatia, to enter Bosnia, to exit Bosnia, and to enter Croatia," he says counting on his fingers, and faking innocence, "Six in total."

“Why do we…? Can we not...? Why so many? Don’t answer! I don’t care!”

"And there weren't any good hotels, so we will spend the night in a shabby rented house," he says, when Hux buckles up. The asshole even stops pretending that he's sorry, "It's a proper road adventure, Hux!"

"Why, Ren?" he sighs. After fantastically romantic Paris, all this is tediously wrong.

"Everything is going according to the plan. Just believe me."

"Just don't sing," Hux response and defiantly puts airpods into his ears.

They drive for the next four hours, including a small stop for dinner, until the sky begins to darken, and arrive at a pink two-storied building with a sea view. It's not luxurious, as Ren promised. Hux can survive that, after all, they only need to spend six hours of sleep there.

Their hostess, a broad middle-aged woman, who speaks in a weird mix of English, German and Easter Slavic, was all smiles and kindness before she saw how Kylo took their bags and hugged Hux's waist. She frowns and orders them not to wake her up in the morning, and to leave their keys under the rug.

Hux frowns in response, muttering promises to leave bad reviews and to have the wildest loudest sex right under the picture of the Virgin Mary.

"Who even puts Virgin Mary in rented rooms? That basically begs for blasphemy," he continues to grumble entering the room after a shower.

But Ren doesn't hear that because he's snoring occupying the whole bed. Hux lays near him, hugs him, relishing in touching his warm body, then wraps himself in a blanket and promises to wake Kylo up in a minute. The next thing he hears is Kylo's alarm.

Hux yawns, and whines that he wants to sleep while he's putting on his clothes. They almost scratch the car maneuvering the narrow streets before they are back to the road. The sky is grey and after multiple turns, he understands that it's getting harder to keep his eyes open.

"You can sleep. It's okay. There is nothing interesting anyway," says Kylo, yawning too.

"No, I read an article about that. If someone sleeps near you, your body wants to sleep more."

"I'm sure it's very scientific, but I'm okay. I promise."

Hux nods as if he believes, but makes Kylo stop at the nearest shop and buys a dozen cans of iced-latte.

"We can play games if you are SO keen not to sleep," Kylo suggests after he finished the second can.

Hux agrees. But it’s all boring. Like, who even came up with the idea, that noticing red cars, or asking questions to guess a character, are fun?

"Okay, that sucks," he confesses after he spent the last ten minutes (minutes he can never get back) on guessing some half-alien know-it-all from Star Trek.

"No, babe, it's just you. You suck at popular culture," Kylo says, his voice is somber but when Hux looks at him he sees that the corners of his lips are turning upward. "But we can play something else."

"Like what?"

"Like Never have I ever."

"Are you fifteen?" Hux shakes his head.

"Are you sixty? You are afraid or what?"

"Okay, you may start, Ren."

They start innocently. Neither of them has been in a summer camp. Kylo has peed in a pool,  _ gross Ren. _ Neither went skydiving,  _ no I don't want to, don't even think about it _ . Kylo is surprised that Hux has hitchhiked, although, it was only once and with friends. And Hux finds out that Kylo was dragged as a kid to all kinds of classy events, operas, organ concerts, and ballets, which he hated the most. 

“I need to try it again someday. What do you think, Hux? Graceful people in skin-tight closes and champagne in the intermission?”

Hux isn't sure if it's an invitation or he asks for Hux’s general opinion, and to be on the safe side Hux shrugs.

They play, for some time until they simply run out of topics.

"Never had I ever have eaten food from the floor? What kind of question is it, Ren?" Hux laughs. "Do you suspected that I had, or are you bragging that you hadn't?"

And then Hux sees a mischievous sparkle in Kylo’s eyes and the next question is much more personal.

Neither of them have done it in a semi-public place. Except for a car. Kylo has done it in a car and at first, can’t conceive that Hux hasn’t.

And Hux is shocked that Ren’s sex life isn’t as crazy as he thought. The questions are long ago forgotten, and they simply talk. Like normal people. Ren tells him that he’s mostly been in a serious relationship, but the last few years his career consumed everything else.

Question after question, answer after answer, story after story they moved to the topic of sexual experience and preferences. Hux can’t believe his own emotions: he’s afraid, he wants to know more about Kylo, and he desperately wants to open up to, to become even closer to his fake husband. He blames the lack of sleep.

“I had that boyfriend in college. He wasn’t my first one. I did have boyfriends in High School and before him,” he says looking in the window, on breathtakingly scenic mountains and azure sea. “But he was the first one, like, you know, for real.”

He glances to Kylo who seems to be concentrating on the road.

“So yeah, he didn’t want that. And I didn’t insist.”

“And you weren’t curious?” Kylo’s voice is excruciatingly leveled. Hux looks at his face, but, for once, it’s a mask. “Even a little bit?”

“Well… I think I was in the beginning.” he wants to change the subject but it’s hard when they are locked in one small space for hours “You see, we were young when we started. He was more experienced, or so I thought so back then, I really don’t know. Anyway, we didn’t talk much in the beginning, and I did, and do enjoy that,” somehow during the light of the day, talking about his previous experience, it is almost impossible to say it. Fucked seems too crude, bottom too juvenile, and on the receiving end - yep, he is not going to say that. “And when to… you know, hint it physically... he kinda stopped me, but I didn’t try a lot...so...”

“And with other boyfriends?”

Hux doesn’t response. He thinks he should tell. But he doesn’t. 

“Never had I ever eaten Haggis,” Hux hears from his left.

“What why on Earth do you think I had?” he says with an exaggerated grin.

“Isn’t that your national dish?”

“You can’t be more American,” Hux chuckles grateful for the change of topic.

Dubrovnik is better than Hux expected. Definitely better than Venice was, but it still is overcrowded and open sun threatens to fry them alive. But nature and architecture are nice, and Hux found a perfect strawberry-vanilla ice-cream. He licks it and follows his nerd and a bunch of stranger-nerds.

Kylo's excursions are a whole new level of boring, but the look of pure excitement on his face fills Hux's chest with warmth. The quite literally spend the whole day walking from one narrow street to another, from the ancient castle to the ancient wall. All of that in the company of people in the stupidest costumes— _ thanks to a non-existing god, that Kylo hasn’t made them wear anything like that _ —pointing out at which corner which scenes were filmed. For Hux untrained view it doesn’t differ much from Crait, they could stay in their city and see the same old buildings and the same azure sea. Hux doesn’t voice it, even if he wants to. If that makes Kylo happy Hux is ready to suck it up and eat the food with weird names while Kylo taking dozens of photos for the fandom friends, that he, apparently, has.

In the evening they enter their room, and it is luxurious. It’s a palace compared to the house where they stayed the night before.

“Did you rent the previous one on purpose? So the contrast is stark?” Hux grins, and wraps his arms around Kylo’s neck.

“Honestly, no. I booked another room for myself, but then upgraded it, when I found out that you’ll go with me.”

Hux opts to say nothing, but they definitely should talk about expenses. Hux knows that. They earn an approximately similar amount of money, but Hux’s salary pays for the mortgage, student loan and help with his mother’s hospital bills, while Kylo comes from a wealthy family. Hux has something left at the end of the month, but not enough for all these luxuries. They  _ need _ to talk about what they are going to do when they are back, and Hux dreads it more than he dreads seeing his bank account empty.

It can wait anyway. Now they have a big terrace on the top floor with a sea view and a white patio bed with translucent curtains, a bottle of wine, and a plan in Hux’s head.

“Sweetheart, I need to go to our room to grab a jacket,” he says in Kylo’s embrace.

“I can warm you with my love,” a cheesy smile appears on Kylo’s lips.

“Great plan, but jacket is better,” he places a small kiss on Kylo’s cheek and steps away from him, so Kylo’s long hands can’t grab him “You can pour us some wine while you waiting.”

Hux dashes to their—Kylo’s small one—suitcase rummages in it, and finally finds a small package. He put it into the pocket of his jacket and heads back to the terrace.

"I still can't believe that you don't know anything about Game of Thrones," Kylo pants while they are kissing still on the terrace.

“I know one big dude,” says Hux. He still can't believe that Kylo is such a fan.

“The Hound?”

Hux shrugs. Who cares right now? He has more pressing tasks in hand — to move Kylo to the patio bed.

“A Knight?” Kylo doesn't cease to find out.

“Nope, he is some kind of barbarian on a horse. The one with a painted face.”

“Khal Drogo?”

"I don't know, Ren,"  _ and I don't care. _ "The one who looks like you."

"So in Paris, I was like a statue. And now I'm like a Dothraki."

"Who?"

"The warriors on horseback. They are..."

“Oh, yes you look like both!" Hux interrupts him and then silences him with a kiss backing him to the bed, "You look good. Don’t question each word!”

To lure Kylo to the patio bed is as easy as can be. To undress Kylo to his underwear is also a piece of delicious cake. When Hux starts to take off his pants, Kylo looks around and whispers, "Should I bring you to bed?"

"We are already in the bed, big silly," Hux says innocently.

"Hux? Are you sure?"

"Yes!" he proclaims, "Neither of us have done it. Why not fix it now."

"Like Dothraki?"

"What?"

"Everything important in life must be done under the gaze of stars."

Hux connects their lips again for a long kiss.

"Will you stop talking about them, nerd, if I promise to watch the first episode with you?"

"Yes, future fan," Kylo rolls them so he's on top of Hux, sucks on his neck, and abruptly sits up. "Wait for me, I'll retrieve everything."

"Left pocket of my jacket," Hux says before Kylo leaves.

The expression on Kylo's face is priceless — pure lust with surprise and admiration.

There is a saying, Hux thinks—or was it from the song?—‘it feels like the first time’. Hux can argue with that. His first time—he can’t say it wasn’t good. It wasn’t horrible either: they were young; inexperienced; both awkward; both trying to pretend that they knew what they were doing; too afraid to communicate, too vulnerable to actually admit when something wasn’t right.

No. With Kylo it doesn’t feel like the first time. It’s just for the first time it feels like that. Hux is thirty-four years old, casual sex shouldn’t make him feel like that.

But when Kylo is trusting in him like that, looking him in the eyes like he is the center of the universe or the whole universe of its own is in his eyes, when Hux digs his nails in Kylo’s forearm, like he is the only real tangible entity in the vast endless chaos, when time stops, and nothing matters, nothing mattered, or will never matter except them, except now, when he can’t tell where his pleasure stops and Kylo’s begin, because for the brief fleeting moment they are one... 

Yeah, Hux definitely has never felt like that with anyone else before. 

They shamelessly make love there hidden by darkness and translucent curtains.  _ Make love  _ that’s how Hux refers to fucking now. He got soft and he’ll pay for it. Later. Now he calls Kylo ‘my Khal’ and is rewarded with the most sensual growl.

“And who am I if you are Khal?” Hux asks half sleeping on top of Ren.

“Also Khal! Obviously.”

“Really?” somehow being a barbarian leader sounds nice, even though endlessly silly.

“If you marry a Khal, you would be a Khal by marriage. I don’t want to go into the historical homophobia, so let’s pretend that they are very accepting and progressive people.”

“Yeah, why not,” Hux agrees, yawning again.

“But what if you are Khal of the different khalasal,” he hears Kylo once again.

“You really like that fantasy” Hux keeps giggling.

“Conquering the world together with you? That’s a nice fantasy,” Kylo mumbles half asleep on his shoulder, practically crushing Hux with his weight. “Destroying everyone who is standing between us, never bothering about showering or smelling good.”

Hux doesn’t answer. What can he add? Shortly Kylo begins to snore.

They can’t sleep like that, but Hux doesn’t move. He wants to commit to memory that feeling, his warmth, his weight, his funny snoring, everything, every second of Kylo.

Hux thinks that it’s too bad they don’t remember their first night. How it all started. It must be embarrassing, but he wants to remember that too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update in two weeks!
> 
> Your comments/kudos are always welcomed and appreciated!
> 
> Thanks to [@spiteandmalice ](https://twitter.com/spiteandmalice) for turning my writing into undestandacle and coherent text!
> 
> This fic is a rework of my twitter-fic inspired by a prompt from [Fru Hallbera ](https://twitter.com/FHallbera) "kylux, fluff, business trip and accidental marriage"
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://mysticmilkshakesublime.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/mystic_milks) don't hesitate to ask me anything  
> And now I have [curiousCat](https://curiouscat.me/mystic_milks) where you can ask me anonymously
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you like this one, you can check my other fics - wip -[drop the curtain, blow out the candles ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17462159)  
> wip -[you are burned up before you know it ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17705078)  
> and finished, moder-au [Up All Night ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18018218/)


	8. Week seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings at the end.

On Monday, they wake up hours before their usual schedule to start working early, so they are able to finish everything before the road back to Crait. That was what they agreed the night before. Half of the day working remotely, half of the day in the car. That was the deal. But that's not what Kylo wants. This overgrown manchild coaxes, blackmails and threatens Hux until he agrees to put his laptop aside and go for an early jog with him. Hux anyway can do most of his work from his phone while they are driving back.

_ Hey, you should run, babe. It positively influences your cognitive abilities.  _ That’s what Kylo said.

Five minutes into jogging and they end up on a beach. It's almost empty — only them, sunbathing old people, and a couple of paddle boarders. It's easy to give in to temptation and swim in brisk morning water.

“We should get the maximum from these last days of our summer,” Kylo whispers in his ear, caressing his sides under the water.

Who in their right mind can argue with a man who looks like a movie star in a place that looks like a movie set?

"What if Snoke finds out?" Hux attempts to argue anyway. He has an image to adhere to.

"Snoke doesn't care. We are SKB. We brought him the best deal. What can he do to us?"

"You are so certain, huh?" 

The results will be known only on Thursday evening during a weekly company update, and that's the first time Hux discusses it with Kylo.

"You aren't, huh?" Kylo mimics his tone, "Relax, babe. The presentation was flawless. We did our best. And we are the best. If our customers are smart they saw that. If not it’s better for us not to deal with them."

"Yeah, of course," Hux understands he's right. But that doesn't mean he can't quietly hope for one extra week with him.

Kylo opens his mouth to say something else, but Hux kisses him. This week will give them answers until then Hux decides to enjoy what they have.

Back in their luxurious apartment, they have breakfast on the terrace —Kylo ordered it from the nearby cafe, while they were out—and only when it's absolutely necessary they open their laptops.

Watching Kylo, Hux can't hold back a smile. On the terrace, he squints from the bright sun, rearranging his laptop, mug, and pastry, making photos and mumbling something. Then he takes everything and escapes inside to pleasantly cool air, normal lighting and smug Hux.

"No pretentious photos to make your followers jealous, hubby?" he teases looking at the screen and pretending that he didn't enjoy Kylo's photo misery.

"I'll post them anyway," says Kylo unperturbed, "Hey, people need to envy someone, why not me? Posted. You are welcome to like, follow and share."

Hux doesn't respond. No one is perfect, and if vanity is Kylo's biggest flaw, Hux can live with it.

Three hours later, packing everything into their suitcase, throwing all souvenirs, Kylo's merchandise, food, and drinks into a tote bag, dropping the keys of the apartment to a mailbox and sitting in the car, Hux feels like it’s the official start of the road back home.

Hux feels uncharacteristically relaxed, sitting on the passenger seat, and looking out the window. He doesn't talk with Kylo, as Hux is busy with another email from their headquarters. A happy tune from the 90's about love and summer is playing from the speakers. It's only the road, mountains, the sea and them till the dawn, when—according to car navigator—they are going to arrive at the parking lot near their Cratian apartment.

Hux clicks on the send button and turns to his driver. Kylo's eyes are concentrated on the road. His lips are moving silently singing to the music. He has a new T-shirt that Hux gave him yesterday. They were walking in the center of Dubrovnik, passing a tourist market full of generic shit when Kylo stopped near one stand and chuckled. Grabbing Hux's hand, he pointed to the row of shirts of all colors with the sign “look Morty I turned myself into a t-shirt. I’m a t-shirt Morty” and the face of a drawn man on it. Hux remotely recognized one of the characters from the cartoon Kylo liked so much. He didn’t get the humor and didn't ask for the explanation, fearing that it'd be added to their watch list. But Kylo’s reaction was enough for Hux to come back the next day and buy a white one.

The song changes and Kylo starts to hum it. After sharing a car with him for long hours, Hux understood the logic of how Kylo adds songs in his ‘Drive’ playlist. Any song that he likes plus it must not make him sleep. That’s the mystery behind how 80's Disco ended up in one playlist with Eminem.

"Country roads, take me home," he sings almost perfectly. "To the place, I belong."

That. That definitely wasn't something Hux could have expected from their business trip. How could he have guessed that singing Kylo Ren in the middle of picturesque nowhere would be a personification of the happiest summer of his life? 

"The radio reminds me of my home far away," Kylo continues, making the music louder.

The last bits he’s almost screaming like a drunkard in the bar.

“Don’t say that you are homesick, huh?” Hux says dully when the song is over.

“Without music, life would be a mistake,” he pronounces solemnly and barely audible, staring at the road ahead of them as if it explains anything.

"Yeah, maybe," what else Hux can say. Sometimes Kylo is peculiar, but it makes him Kylo.

The next song is something that teens might dance to in night clubs, and Kylo frowns before skipping. He skips three more times, before finding 500 Miles, turning the volume down, and touching Hux's knee.

"Babe, Hux," he stops, strokes his leg. "You know I enjoy our summertime reprise. I do. Greatly."

Oh, no. Whatever he said, Hux realizes that the next word will be 'but'. And anything before 'but' doesn't matter.

"But,"  _ damn it Kylo! Why? _ "I do miss home."

His hand keeps sliding up and down Hux's leg. Slowly. Gently. Soothingly.

"Why?" Hux's voice is loud in the silent car. When did Kylo turn off the music completely?

"What can I say. I'm a troubled man," Kylo giggles and looks at him. Hux doesn't smile. " I miss the big city. My own apartment. My gym. My plants. Rey. Our office. Our team there. I do not miss the old crook. Maybe only a little."

"Don’t get me wrong, babe, I'd love to stay here longer with you," his hand moves between Hux's legs, where his hardening—traitor— dick is, "But I do miss home too."

"Right."

"Hey, why so serious?" Kylo keeps his voice light, "Don’t you miss home? How about Millie and Phasma?"

Hux does miss them. But he'll rejoin them soon anyway. And whatever they've here, will stay here.

“Yes. Yes, I do. And my yoga,” not that he goes there regularly but it’s nice to brag that he practices yoga. “And the office.”

And now Kylo must think that he’s pathetic. Great.

“Oh," exclaims Kylo as if he comes up with something hilarious, "have you seen Phasma’s latest video?”

“Nope.” _W_ __h_ at happened again? _

"You must. Right now."

"Can you tell me?" asks Hux trying and failing to keep irritation away from his voice.

"Nope. Check it. You'll love it."

Frowning and inwardly cursing, Hux opens the app and sees Phasma's kitchen, an orange ball of fur—his baby Millie—lays on a counter, among countless bowls, Phasma with a perfect commercial-worthy white smile, with a perfect commercial-worthy slice of pizza in her hand.

“She baked healthy pizza and called it the healthiest safest pizza in New York. She's even tagged you.”

“Really?” Hux asks automatically, reading it.

His best friend is shamelessly mocking him while promoting her gym and claiming that immediately after Hux's landing she'll feed him her new protein-based, non-fat pizza. But it does make him smirk.

"Told you, you'd like it," Hux can hear a smug smile without looking at Kylo.

“Okay. But now you'll fly back alone. Thank you, I don't want to die from her cooking.”

“Check her stories. She predicted that. And threatens to take your cat, if you refuse."

“Now I have to go back. I have a custody battle for Millie,” Hux says dramatically.

“Exactly!" Kylo exclaims much louder than it needed "But before we fly back to the Big Apple, there is something I want to do with you.”

Hux's heart aches, from the realization that Kylo is sure that there things that can only be done here. Well, Hux's hoped that he could convince Kylo to keep having casual sex after their return. Alas, he already decided to stop.

“What?” says Hux with fake lightness.

“You can guess," Kylo's hand shifts back on his leg "You love playing, don't you?"

_ No, you love playing. But if that's what you want, we can do this. You're in charge after all. _

“Is it sexy?” Hux puts his hand on Kylo's and presses it.

“Silly question, babe. It involves you. You're sexy,” he flashes Hux a charming smile, and intertwines their fingers, “And it involves me. I’m super sexy.”

Hux chuckles, “And super modest.”

“You said so yourself. But keep guessing.”

“Does it involves us being naked?” he spread his legs a bit. Sex is good. Sex is safe. It's what they do.

“If your question is if this surprise involves two aforementioned sexy men in some stages of undress, then my answer is,” he takes long theatrical pause, stroking Hux's crotch, "yes."

His hand, to Hux's frustration, slides up, past his belt, and playfully scratches his belly. It's nice too. He feels like a cat and wants to purr.

“Kylo Ren, do you want to have sex with me?” he asks pretending to be surprised.

“Are you even trying to guess?” his hand moves even higher, teasing Hux’s nipples over his polo and under safety belt, “I always want to have sex with you.”

_ Only while I'm the only available option. _ But Hux can't let his sour mood spoil their last days together. So he keeps smiling and arches into touch.

“Aren’t you too old to be always aroused?”

“You fake grumpiness won’t save you from my powerful libido.” He stops bothering his nipples and takes Hux's hand, which was on his squeezing the seat, by the wrist and brings it to his mouth, kissing his knuckles.

“Powerful libido, hm?” it’s not hard to smile when Kylo seriously says things like that, “Why not your magical rod?”

“You can call little Kylo as you like, babe,” he says and Hux can’t decide whether he really is serious or is it part of the game.

“Don’t challenge me!" he chuckles anyway, while Kylo is gently licking his knuckles."Or I will create some horrible nickname for it.”

“Oh, hit me with your best shot,” he says, not stopping licking.

Jerking his hand away from Kylo, Hux contemplates clever dick nicknames, but can't come up with anything appropriate. It's either too flattering: Dr. Orgasm, Weapon of Ass Destruction, Mr. Happy, and Kylo doesn't need to become smugger; too porny: Disco Stick, Meat Popsicle, Cum Gun; or too Victorian-era innuendo: Virile Sword, Love Spear, Your Rigid Part. None of these Hux is going to say out loud.

"Share with me," Kylo asks him, "I can see from your face that you came up with something."

"Look at the road," Hux non-subtly changes the subject, "I don't want to die because of your constant horniness."

"Constant Horniness? Strange name but okay. Baby, My Constant Horniness, won't hurt you, he's your friend, Hux." when Hux glances at him, Kylo looks happy with his own wit.

"Look at the road!" Hux orders, and turns to the window. He doesn't need Kylo to see his smile.

Their playful banter distracted Hux enough that he didn’t notice that they turned from the main road. And now they are driving on a dirt road between pine trees.

“Where are we going?”

“Surprise,” Kylo says overexcited and makes a hand gesture like a magician when the rabbit disappears.

“Kylo," Hux turns back to him and sighs. Of course, they are driving to some desolate beach, "Can't you wait for Crait? We don’t have time and it’s too hot for swimming.”

“Good," he says, grinning widely, "because we are not going to.”

Kylo stops the car in the small spot outside the road in the shadow. On the three sides, it's enclosed with trees. Hux can see the blue line of sea between them. But it’s in the distance. All of Kylo's surprises so far were great, but Hux is not going there under the scorching sun.

“We should move to the back seat,” unbuckling, says Kylo with the same self-satisfied smile. As if he’s winning in the game. But Hux doesn’t know what they're playing at.

“Why?”

“Because I doubt we can have sex on the front seat," his smile becomes even wider. The man is practically beaming, "I mean it’s physically possible. Obviously, we can move the seat back, but it’s not that convenient. And it’s more traditional to do it on the back seat. I do want to give you the original experience after all.”

“What are you talking about, Kylo Ren?” Hux fights back his own smile. Now he has a good guess about what is going on, but he can’t fully accept that Kylo can be _ that juvenile _ .

“I want to make love to you on the back seat of my car,” Kylo pronounces slowly and solemnly, although that stupid handsome wide smile does spoil the impression, “Or wait. Even better. I want to pick a delicate flower of your car-virginity. I want to be your first, Hux … in the car."

Hux gives him the look. The one that he trained in front of the mirror when he was young to terrify people who annoy him.

"I'm smooth and you can’t say no to my charms,” he says apparently trying to be as neutral as possible, moving his hand in front of Hux's face like some kind of psychic.

“You are an idiot,” says Hux, watching how Kylo leaves the car, circles it and opens the passenger door for Hux.

“You’ve said that. Quite often actually. And yet you are with me. In my car. Ready to give me your flower.”

“If you don’t stop I won’t talk to you,” says Hux and steps outside.

“Oh, you won’t talk with me, babe, you’ll moan my name,” Kylo continues chuckling.

Hux has no choice other than silencing his intolerable brat by clashing their lips. And even when Hux is pressing him to the hot side of the car, Kylo tries to add some cheesy jokes in between kisses.

Hux’d hate him if he wasn’t head over heels for him.

After a couple of minutes of making out outside, it's necessary for survival to hide in the car. Even shadow from the trees doesn't save them from the scorching, like they are in the oven, air. The backseat is simply the closest way to safety, Hux thinks to himself, continuing sucking under Kylo's jaw and tugging him inside. It's pleasantly chill there; the seat is wide and comfortable; Kylo's hands are roaming under his polo; Hux's body pleasantly tingling and he reconsiders his initial dismissal of Kylo's antics.

"Babe, what do you have in mind?" Kylo mutters in his neck, making his toes curving in his stylish loafers.

“Me? I'm the blushing virgin," Hux squints at him, trying to act his part, "You said so yourself. You're in charge.”

“Oh, that’s how you wanna play?” he slides his hands to Hux's hipbones and leaves them there, only his thumbs tentatively slip under Hux's waistband.

“I thought that you were an expert. Hence, you, a renowned expert, should lead the way,” Hux whispers cupping Kylo’s face.

“I definitely didn’t say that I’m was an expert in first-time car sex," he replies but looks arrogant, "That makes me sound like some kind of perv with a fetish for cars and virgins.”

“That’s exactly how you sound, Kylo” Hux giggles. He’s turned on. He wants Kylo. He wants to tease Kylo. He wants to play with Kylo. “So was that all empty bragging about picking my flower," he can't say that with a serious face, and chuckles again, theatrically pressing his hand on his forehead, "Oh, poor me, bound to never have proper car sex. Oh, such a disappointment.” 

Now they both are laughing. Kylo tugs Hux’s left leg across his lap, so he straddles Kylo’s hips. He puts his hands on the back of Kylo’s neck, while Kylo's hands rest on his ass. Their faces are so close that their noses almost touching.

“We can’t let that happen,” says Kylo, shaking his head.

“I hope so. I don’t want to spend the next five hours locked in the car with a boner.”

“Take off your pants,” Kylo commands with a cheerful voice.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Hux says swapping Kylo’s hands away from his hips, “I want the ‘original’ experience, and I doubt that’s what you say to your partner when you’re humping them on the back seat for the first time.”

“Humping?” Kylo covers his face with his hand, failing to conceal his laughing. Then when he stops, he puts his fingers in his hair combs it back.

“Or how do kids call it these days,” Hux replies, not wanting to lose this verbal battle.

“Thankfully, I don’t have any fucking idea about kids these days,” he widens his smile, hooks his arm around Hux’s shoulder and whispers in his ear, “Do you want me to get you tipsy on a cheap beer I bought with my fake ID, before we can move this to the next level, sweety.”

“Do you really have a cheap beer?” 

“We have half a bottle of yesterday's wine. It’s warm now, so it must do the trick,” he says with half-smirk, putting one hand on Hux’s scapula and another one on his lower thigh, guiding Hux’s movement so their hips grind.

“Thank you, but I can't,” then some playful part of Hux's mind takes control of his mouth and he adds “My mother will freak out if I return home smelling of alcohol.”

Hux slides his hand between their bodies, and puts it on Kylo's crotch, palming it gingerly, as if he hasn't done that before.

Kylo looks at him. For a long moment. Hux is worried that he’ll mock him for this silly line, or find him weird.

“Will she? I can’t let you get grounded, babe.”

"Yeah?" Hux's moving his hips, practically dry humping him, "Won't you climb into my window?"

"I'll climb anywhere for you, Hux," he says, cupping his face, and looking Hux in the eyes.

His gaze is so intense, that Hux closes his eyes, and kisses him. He doesn't disconnect their mouths when he fists the hem of Kylo's shirt and pulls it up. He breaks the kiss for a second to take it over Kylo's head, and drop on the floor then he's back on him.

Kylo's hands are inside his underwear, on his bare ass, kneading it. Hux kisses Kylo's neck, nuzzling it, licking it, sucking it, biting it and leaving marks, while his hands are unzipping Kylo's pants and starting to stroke him. 

“Don’t be scared,” Kylo whispers, “I'll be gentle.”

“You better,” Hux twists his hand, fetching a loud moan from Kylo, “not.”

And with these words he pulls back, to lean down and finally suck Kylo off. But, apparently, his partner has another idea.

He unholsters Hux’s pants, pulls them down to his knees, and slaps him.

“Nice ass,” he slaps another ass cheek, “now I need you here.”

He takes Hux by his hips and moves him on the seat near him, raises, pulls his own pants down, reclines across the seat. Hux isn’t sure that anal in the car is the best idea, but before he opens his mouth to vocalize his concerns, Kylo guides his legs in the way that Hux straddles him with his face to Kylo’s feet.

_ Oh, that’s what he wants. _

Hux isn’t the biggest fan of sixty-nine. He finds it a bit distracting, and then again he needs to trust a person enough to be on full display for them.

His self-conscious thoughts are interrupted by Kylo kissing his length. Hux moans. It’s loud in the car. He leans down panting heavily and takes Kylo’s dick in his mouth.

Kylo alternates between sucking and rimming him, driving Hux crazy. He teases Hux’s entrance with his tongue, then licks his balls, then back to his hole again. It disrupts Hux’s own rhythm, and only by the sheer power of will, Hux stops from rutting on him.

That bastard learned Hux’s reactions during these weeks together and when Hux is close, he pulls away, letting him cool down. Hux sometimes forgets that he also needs to pleasure Kylo, then he goes back to business with double energy, only to pull away and moan when Kylo squeezes his ass cheeks with his huge hands, rubbing his rim with his thumb.

In some instant he loses himself completely, starting to fucking Kylo’s mouth, aching his back, and moaning nonsense. He comes with a loud groan, shuddering and falling on top of Kylo. Then he pays Kylo back by—as he knows right now Kylo likes it the most—fast-moving up and down while helping himself with hands.

After they finish, they lay like that. Hux has no idea for how long. Silent. Only with hum from AC, and their uneven breathing.

“Now I can tell all my nerd friends at school that I scored the most popular guy,” Kylo huffs, buckling up and starting the engine.

“No one will believe you, Ren” Hux deadpans, faking a mean voice of a popular kid.

He deeply doubts that it'd be their dynamic if they went to the same high school. A guy like Kylo wouldn't even look at the direction of a math club geek who spent his days with his computer. Hux doesn't voice that. Kylo's playful mood is contagious.

“Damn it!" says Kylo, while they are driving onto the main road again, "You are right. I need to steal your underwear next time.”

“You are a perv and an idiot,” Hux's voice is more affectioned that he wants, but Kylo doesn't seem to notice. But for good measure Hux covers it with a conveniently occurred yawn.

“Oh, poor Hux, your first car-time was with an idiot! But that, probably a part of the original experience.”

“Not the worst first car-time,” Hux says matter-of-factly, willing his eyes to stay open.

“Not the worst?! Thank you, babe, for such a high score,” Kylo makes a face and Hux muddled brain can't decide if he's serious.

“Hey, I thought we are playing.” The mood in the car is light, but it's better to be safe than ruin it.

“With my heart, Hux. You are playing with my heart. And now it’s broken.” Now it's clear that he is pretending because a grin is back on his face.

Hux yawns again and pulls a protein bar from a glove compartment. He's basking in sex high mixed with great weather, perfect climate control, and chocolate taste on his lips.

“Definitely better than our first 'first time',” he jokes.

That was the wrong thing to say. A smile dies on Kylo’s face, giving way to a confused expression.

“Not in Paris,” Hux quickly adds, trying to save the situation, “Or any other time. We have great sex. I love our sex. I mean the first one the one we don’t remember. The one at ‘Freedom Island’.”

“There was no first time,” Kylo says after an eerie silence, looking straight at the road. “I told you. Nothing had happened. Nothing.”

“Yeah, okay, if you say so." Hux hates himself for being bad with words. And for mentioning that bloody damn night at all.

"And I don’t say that whatever happened there was wrong," he adds, not taking his gaze away from Kylo's face and begging him to smile again, "It's simply frustrating. That we just don’t remember what has happened.”

“I do."

"What?"

"I remember it. And nothing had happened. As I told you. We didn’t do it. In any meaning of it. We didn’t fuck. We didn’t come. So...”

“You remember it?” Hux interrupts his flux of words.

“Yes. Not very good. But I do remember it,” he looks at Hux as if searching his face for something and then abruptly turns his gaze back on the road.

Hux asks his heart for any meaningful reaction. He probably should be offended or suspicious. But all he feels is astonished. 

“Why didn't you say that before?”

“I—" Kylo sighs and scratches his head, "When we woke up, I didn’t expect you to have a blank instead of that night. First, I thought you were pretending. Then you had… an episode,” he says dryly. His voice is low. The car is going way under the speed limit. “I didn’t understand how drunk and high or whatever you had been. Fuck, I was pretty drunk too. Not as much as you. And I thought that you were okay. That you understood what is going on. I’m really sorry.”

Hux knows he needs to say something. But his mind is empty. At the next viewpoint, Kylo parks the car. The silence becomes more uncomfortable.

“For what?” Hux says eventually, “For what are you sorry?”

“For not saying anything before. For taking advantage of your state. For… I don’t know. I didn’t mean to. But I should have known better.”

“There is no need for an apology. I’m a grown-ass man. It’s not like you got me drunk. Or that you planned that.” Hux doesn’t know what to say. Probably a good moment to say, that he was attracted to Kylo for a long time, that he freaked out not because he thought that they'd had a drunken hook-up, but because he thought that it'd ruin their work relationship. But he doesn't add anything. He moves his hand and puts it near Kylo's on the steering wheel, so their fingertips are barely touching.

“Do you want to ask anything?” Kylo mumbles, overlapping their hands.

Hux has countless questions. He wants to hear the whole story. Desperately. Urgently. All the details. But he also doesn’t want to be humiliated and sit for the rest of the trip with the red face cursing his morbid curiosity. He has been digging deep into his memories for the last few weeks, but all he can retrieve are glimpses and he isn’t even sure that all that he remembers was with Kylo. What if not? What if...

“I don’t want to talk about that. I promise I’m not angry with you. And I don’t regret anything. I just don’t want to discuss it today.” _ I don’t want to spoil the moment.  _

Kylo shrugs, “Want some music?”

“Yes, please,” and he smiles. The copy of it appears on his lover's face.

* * *

On Wednesday evening, Hux is ready to call Snoke and ask about the results.

The knowledge that old bastard knows and doesn't tell them is driving Hux crazy. Their team in the office was speculating about that for the whole day. Whenever Hux went he heard the whispers: when he made his coffee; when he strolled through the open-space; even during their company lunch on the terrace.

Everyone was sure that they got the contract. The only matter of dispute was how good it was. And Ren, that horrible renegade, didn't stop but even more so created a new wave of discussion after admitting that indeed Snoke had got results earlier today, but had refused to share them with anyone. 

Why does Hux need to suffer waiting for the next twenty hours if his happiness is at stake? It's just one more week of it, but still, it's one more week more than now. 

And Hux wants this week. No, not even wants, he needs it. He craves it. He demands and requires it. Even if that'd mean endure Snoke's discontent. Even if he'd be left without a bonus. He's willing to pay that price. But that'd also mean that Kylo’s career would be in danger. And Kylo wants to go back to NYC, he said so himself.

He looks at the balcony where the man he fell so hard for is sitting, idly surfing online, presumably posting photos from Dubrovnik.

Kylo is right, Hux considers, opening himself a bottle of wine. They can't relish in this paradise forever. Their skin is sunburned. Hux's hair got lighter. He became relaxed, soft and weak. And well-fucked. And that negatively affects his critical thinking.

He rummages through the shelves and finds the biggest glass they have. He starts to pour the rich burgundy liquid into it, surrounding himself with the smell of fine alcohol. That's going to improve his mood. Wine is the answer and doesn't matter what was the question.

“What are you doing?” the loud voice startles him and Hux almost spills his alcohol. He turns around to face Kylo, who walks from the balcony and stops at Hux's right, inches away from him. Their gazes met, and, Hux is surprised to find him displeased.

“Fixing myself a drink,” Hux states the obvious, frowning, not setting the bottle away until his glass is full, almost to the brim.

Kylo steps behind him, covers Hux's hand with his, implying the slightest pressure, not letting him lift the glass, and takes the bottle from his other hand.

“Alone?” he whispers into the back of Hux's neck. Hux can feel how the tiny hairs stand up there.

“Yes,” he says, uncertain in what is going on. Kylo might feel left behind, but he didn’t want to drink when Hux asked him an hour ago in a restaurant, “I had a hard day."

While his right hand prevents Hux from lifting the glass, Kylo places his other hand on Hux's waist. Kylo's chin lays on his shoulder. He literally surrounds Hux.

Turning his head left Hux glares at him, studying his face, then moves his gaze to their joined hands on the thin glass stem.

“Hux," says Kylo carefully, "do you have problems with alcohol?”

“No!” he replies feeling righteously offended and tries to break free from Kylo's grip. Not an easy task. What kind of question is that? He's a top-level professional, who is going to drink pretty expensive wine, not a jobless hobo, “Do you have problems with me drinking alcohol?”

“No, Hux. No problem. We'll celebrate tomorrow. Or drink ourselves into oblivion and wallow in sadness if things go downhill.”

“I do not wallow in sadness,” he stresses every word and, finally wriggles from Ren's hands with his glass, he steps aside and crosses his arms on his chest. Not a particularly comfortable pose with a glass.

“It’s not hard. I can teach you. I’m a master.” Kylo says lightly. He smiles, touching Hux’s shoulder. His touch is gentle and placating, but Hux doesn’t want to be placated. He doesn’t need that.

“I’m not saying that you have a problem,” Kylo continues, when Hux doesn’t say anything and defiantly takes a big gulp, “I don’t want to see you getting wasted before tomorrow. It’s an important day.”

“I won't get wasted. And you aren't my dad. Or my boss.”  _ You aren’t my anyone. Just a coworker with whom I live and fuck. And you will become just my coworker again very soon. _

“So I’m not allowed to worry about you?” Kylo makes one step toward him and puts his fingers on Hux’s chin, tilting it up so their gazes meet.

Hux should say no.  _ No, you are not, Kylo.  _ He just turns his head away. 

“Oh. I can’t,” Kylo answers his own question.

_ Open your mouth _ , Hux says to himself,  _ and say that you worry that everything will be over way too soon. _

He can’t. He knows that if he opens his tightly pursed lips words he'll start pouring the truth and everything will become complicated.

“I had a hard day. That’s it,” somehow Hux finds a strength to uncross his arms and touch Kylo’s warm hand. “I really don’t want to fight.”

“Hey, I don’t want to fight either. But I don’t want you to drink alone if something worries you,” he massages Hux’s fingers speaking with that soft voice. Does he think that Hux can crumple in any second? “Is there something that worries you? Is that about tomorrow’s results?”

“Yes,” and that’s true. Partially.

“Oh, come here, babe,” Kylo closes the distance between them, so their chests touch. He takes the glass, puts it away, guides Hux hands to his shoulders, wrapping his own on Hux’s waist again, “Everything is going to be fine. You know that, right?”

Hux nods. Of course, it’s going to be fine. For Kylo. And then Kylo can happily go back to NYC to his loft, his plants and his real-life, Hux thinks, inhaling Kylo’s smell and connecting their foreheads.

“Do you want me to help relax?” he hears Ren’s whisper. Two hands slide down his back and grab his ass, while Kylo grinds their hips.

Hux can have sex with Kylo. He can forget about everything in his embrace. He can pretend that there is no tomorrow. But there is and no amount of sex is going to fix it.

“It’s okay. We don’t have to do this,” Hux doesn’t know how but Kylo guesses his mood, and his hands move back on his waist. “How about I carry you to the bed for Netflix and those cookies from Croatia with tea?”

Hux nods. They watch some silly sitcom about Brooklyn police until he falls asleep in Kylo’s arms.

* * *

The lounge zone is filled up with applause. A projector is working, but it shows Kylo's desktop — Snoke disconnected right after his announcement had been finished. The crowd comes closer to them to shake their hands, give and receive congratulations. The results are great. The deal is even better than FO-Games expected. And Kylo and Hux will get hefty bonuses. But Hux has known that for the last hour.

When the old geezer set a call with both Kylo and him half an hour before the weekly team meeting, Hux didn't know what to expect. Snoke could be bizarre and his management style might seem unconventional, but he wasn't the one for wasting time talking in vain. Hearing him praising them, and giving them a reward was objectively weird.

"He is afraid," whispered Kylo in Hux's ear on their way from the meeting room to the lounge.

"Of what?"

"Us."

Hux didn't pay much attention to that comment, his mind was consumed with what he'd tell the team, but he filed it for later.

At the end of the day, neither of them got promoted yet. But the money is good. Hux can easily pay back Kylo his debt for all weekends expenses. He needs to approach him today and ask for a precise number. Or he can do that on the plane. They'll have plenty of time on the plane.

For the team, it’s even more of a victory than for Kylo and Hux. And when Finn opens champagne and pours for everyone and Mazz turns the music on, Hux knows that he needs to act. 

"Home?" he says, leaning to Kylo's ear.

"Yes," he nods, "I'm calling a taxi."

Not that at this point someone will notice their disappearance. And even if they do, Hux can't care less.

They start to make out in the taxi. It's not frantic anymore, but it feels, at least for Hux, like they're two magnets that can not be pulled away from each other.

To their, and likely to driver's, relief the road home is short. Less than fifteen minutes and they are on the sofa, basking in the success and enjoying languid touches.

"Care for a drink?" asks Kylo between kisses on his neck.

Hux doesn't. He is high from the triumph, intoxicated by Kylo's closeness. He doesn't need anything more to cloud his mind.

"Yes, please," he doesn't want to raise any questions.

"So," says Kylo, standing up, crossing the room and looking at the top shelf of the kitchen drawer. "We have Sljivovica, I think it's some kind of plum vodka, we have leftover beer from Tuesday's dinner and three bottles of wine."

Hux considers that for a second, shots might make him bolt and he can talk to Kylo, but he might say something stupid, and the bottle of wine is already open.

"Wine, please," he smiles.

"Anything for our favorite patron," Kylo comes to him, gives him a glass and clinks them, "To us."

"To us," echoes Hux. The alcohol tastes better than yesterday, and Kylo's lips emphasize its subtle notes.

"Play with me," whispers Kylo, when their lips part.

"Play? What do you want to play?" he asks, widening his smile. He has no idea what to expect from him—it could be sexual role play, or this man could invite him to an escape room on the other end of the city. 

“Truth or dare?” Kylo says, finishing his wine.

“Truth.” Hux doesn't know what this man has in mind but Hux has never hidden from a challenge. 

“Do you want to experiment with me?”

“Excuse me?” he stares at Ren not sure if he heard that right. There is no smile at his face. If anything he looks uncharacteristically hesitant.

“Experiment? Try something new? Sexual? Something that you hadn’t done before?” Kylo blurts that out without a pause as if he is afraid Hux won't let him finish. He takes Hux's hands in his, soft and gentle as always.

“Hm, I can’t answer without details, but yes in general," Hux says, trying not to sound surprised, "Why?”

“Is that your turn?” A small smile reappears on Kylo's lips.

“Yes!”  _ Damn, why is Kylo like that today?  _

“You didn’t ask me.” The smile becomes wider, and his fingers start to massage Hux's inner wrists.

“Truth or dare?" he says trying to sound serious, but he can't. Only Kylo can be that—  _ that _ —Hux doesn't sure what — to ask that as a part of a stupid game, "And I’d highly recommend picking the truth.”

“Okay, Hux, don’t get angry. Although it’s tempting to find out what torture your mind will come up. Truth.”

“Why did you ask that?” It seems to Hux that their sex life is already quite exciting. Is Ren bored?

“I want you to top me, babe," he says smiling then quickly adds, "If that’s something that you’re interested in. Zero pressure. Just a suggestion.”

“What?" Hux has never been tentative for emotions of the other people, but now—somehow understanding that whatever is going on is important to Kylo—he trying really hard to sound supportive, "Why?”

“Why I want you?”

“No," he puts a small kiss on Kylo's nose, "Why do you want me to… fuck you?”

Hux looks at his face trying to figure out the answer in his eyes.

“I want all of you. I thought that might be exciting for both of us.”

“I don’t know Kylo,” he says, hoping that his inner insecurity isn’t that obvious, “I’m not sure. I do trust you. Just why?”

“I’m—” he looks down “Nothing. Sorry, that was stupid.”

He looks at Kylo’s face, “It’s me, Kylo. Just say it.”

“Zero pressure, babe. I just thought… You said you’ve never topped. I want you to top me. If you don’t want to or you’re sure that you won’t like it, it’s okay. But I—” he pauses “—I really want to feel you inside me.”

“Kylo, I—” he pauses. Yes, he is curious. He was for a long time. But it’s not some random Grindr dude, who he can easily forget if something isn’t perfect, it’s Kylo.

“Hey, no pressure. If that’s simply not your thing it’s okay,” he repeats, “But what bothers you?”

“I don’t want to hurt you. Don’t want to do something wrong,” he doesn’t look at Kylo, and he hates how his voice sounds. It’s like he is ten years younger.

“Why would you hurt me? It's not rocket science. Believe me. And I want that from you. I want everything from you. All of it.”

When the silence becomes awkward, and Hux is afraid he’ll blurt out something stupid, he says, “Are you just lazy, and want me to do all the work?”

Hux opts for humor, his last and rarely used shield.

“How about I prepare myself for you. Put on a little show. If you are interested you can fuck me, if not,” he shrugs “We can find alternative ways to satisfy our mutual needs.”

“Very client-friendly.”

“We don’t think about our users as clients in FO-games. If you install our product you are part of the FO,” he repeats their old motto with over the top serious business voice, “So Hux, dare me. If you want.”

“You can try to dare me,” Hux mumbles.

“Truth or dare, babe?”

“Dare,” Hux says unsure.

“I dare you to watch how I prepare my asshole for the most gorgeous cock in the world,” he says with a seductive grin.

“Oh, so you want to fuck your own ass?” Hux answers, but sounded funnier in his head.

But Ren chuckles anyway and goes for a bottle of lube and condoms.

When Kylo comes back and puts everything on a couch, he starts slowly undressing, putting on a show.

“If managers become redundant, you will always have a back-up career as a stripper,” says Hux, reclining in a chair in front of the sofa.

“You think?” he over-enthusiastically wiggles his hips.

“Definitely,” says Hux with a surprisingly hoarse voice.

“Only if you would be my partner.”

He kneels on the couch facing the wall, spreads his legs wide. He half turns his head to Hux, sucks his two fingers, more obscenely that it can be needed. Their gazes are locked. Hux’s heart starts beating faster. Kylo reaches behind himself and circles his own rim, putting just the tip of his finger inside.

Seeing such a gorgeous man fully exposing himself for him drives Hux crazy. Kylo reaches for the lube. Hux leans closer. He’s breathing heavily. His dick is hard in his pants. He didn't expect that all this would affect him so much.

Kylo’s fingers slide inside his hole slowly, excruciatingly slowly. He arches and moans. Loudly.

“Can I?” Hux hears his own voice, and barely recognizes it, so tense it is.

“Yes,” Kylo moans “You can do whatever you want with me.”

“Will you hold it open for me?” he asks coming closer and putting a hand on Kylo's hip.

Kylo gives him a quick succession of multiple nods. 

Hux pours the viscous liquid into his fingers. He opens Kylo, while stroking his thighs with his other hand and putting hickeys on his asscheek. His fingers go inside him. He is warm—no, not warm, it’s almost hot inside him—and tight. He pants so sweetly that it is hard for Hux not to touch himself. 

“I want you,” Hux admits.

“How?” Kylo’s eyes are unfocused when he looks at Hux.

“Like that,” he’s not sure that he’ll last but he wants to feel Kylo.

Hux undresses, puts a condom on. Lubes it. He saw his partners doing that countless amount of times. He read about it. But he feels like a complete rookie. He leaves one foot on the ground, puts another one near Kylo, bracing hands on Kylo’s hips. He slowly pushes inside him, asking him, checking on his reactions, and desperately trying to remember how he himself likes it, and what Kylo does to please him. 

He tries to match his hips movement with his hand on Kylo’s dick. Hux loses himself in a sensation. He can’t tell where his body ends and Kylo’s begins. He feels every moan, tremble, everything.

“Hux, I—”, Kylo moans, “Hux!”

Kylo shudders. Hux shudders too. He keeps thrusting in him, faster, while Kylo tightens around him. He is not sure if it’s physical, psychological or is it just Kylo, but Hux comes hard, almost painfully, zoning out and collapsing on Kylo.

When they disconnect, he hugs Kylo, wraps his legs around him, chasing that feeling of unity, not ready to fully come back to reality.

“How was it?” he hears from Kylo.At first, he can’t even answer, he simply giggles and chuckles.

“Awesome. You are awesome, Kylo,” Hux says into his chest, “For you?”

“You are always awesome, Hux.”

Hux pushes himself even close into Kylo’s embrace and closes his eyes for a second.

“Truth or dare?” Kylo’s voice wakes him up from a light nap.

“Just ask,” Hux mumbles. Whatever it is he doesn’t have the energy for games, and if he can he’ll give Kylo whatever he wants anyway.

“What was the deal with your ex?”

“What do you want to know?” 

“It seems that—I don’t know—,” his voice is strange. Lower. Softer. More unsure. “that something hurt you back then.”

Hux is silent. He’s silent for a long time. Kylo doesn’t bother him. They lay close to each other, their arms and legs touching. It must be the time to go to the shower, or to the bedroom, prepare to sleep when Hux begins talking.

He tells Kylo that it was his senior year in college that he was deep into preparing his master's project. Revan and he were together since their sophomore year. Their relationship never was ideal but he thought that they would move together after finishing uni, adopt a cat, meet each other’s parents, marry, buy a house with a white fence and a porch, have kids and eventually grow old together. Isn't that what all people do? A perfect plan for a perfect life.

His boyfriend was also preparing for his final project. Even when Hux had time, Roven almost never was available. It was fine. Hux didn’t want to be a nuisance. He thought that they’d fix everything after the study was over. Roven was staying late, often missed calls, but that was okay with Hux. After all, he—Hux—was the one who was always annoyed by Roven calling too often and demanding Hux’s attention.

When his own project was finished, and Revan was still cold and estranged, Hux thought that his boyfriend needed his support or was upset by Hux’s previous unavailability. Being romantic had never been his strong suit, but he ordered take out, planned weekends, texted him checking if he needed anything. Only to be politely shooed away. At Revan’s presentation Hux came with gorgeous and crazily expensive flowers, like a fool. Revan took them, placed a chaste kiss on his cheek and asked Hux to leave because that was embarrassing.

“I probably should’ve read between the lines, but...”

Then Hux got a text, that they needed to take a break. Thinking that whatever it was, they could overcome it Hux set a meeting with Rovan’s roommate. The most awkward Starbucks coffee in Hux’s life.

Roven was cheating on him. For more than four months. With some cute gal from his class.

“We were together for two years and five months, four of which he was with her and I didn’t even notice that,” he says with a sad smile. 

“What a dickhead,” says Kylo, looking at the ceiling after Hux’s didn’t continue.

“That was my fault too,” Hux’s voice is emotionless. That’s ancient history, and saying it out loud makes it even more stupid.

“No, babe, it was not,” Kylo turns his head, and kisses his shoulder, “Do you want me to punch him?”

“No!” but for some reason Hux chuckles, ”Why?”

“For being a jerk.”

“No. We were young and stupid. And it was my fault too. I wasn’t a good boyfriend. All this relationship nonsense is not for me. And I—you might have noticed that I’m not the most fun person ever. And—” Hux doesn’t know what else to say so he doesn’t.

The pause is stretching. Kylo brushes Hux’s hand with his thumb. It was good to share that with someone. With Kylo. Phasma knew too, but only the key parts. And when Hux finally said all of it, told his  _ husband _ about his embarrassing failure, he feels better.

“Let’s go to sleep, eh?” whispers Kylo.

Hux doesn’t remember what he answered if anything, but the next morning he wakes up tangled with Kylo in their bed.

* * *

The weekend starts with them eating takeout pizza in their living room and moving to the bedroom to continue the celebration. The next morning, or is it already afternoon, starts with sex and then Kylo strolls to the kitchen and brings cold pizza. Hux thinks about protesting, but he's too relaxed for that, so they eat it in bed.

Hux's eyes are closing again and he vigorously yawning, when he finally finds the courage to ask, "Have you seen the email from the HR Department?"

"Which one?" Kylo yawns too, putting his head on Hux's shoulder.

"With ticket information. Pyre needs the date from us, so he can book tickets," he explains, fighting back sleep.

"Yeah," Kylo lifts his head and looks at Hux. Then he yawns and lays it down again, "I asked Snoke for one more week of vacation for both of us. He's okay with that. The company even will pay for this apartment. Theoretically. If you want."

"Snoke? Vacation? Are you sure?" Hux lazily smiles, trying to imagine the alternative universe with nice Snoke.

"He doesn't want to lose us. Or that we'll steal SKB, and create a start-up."

That makes sense. Hux thought about his own company before, but he needs initial funding for that.

"Good," he closes his eyes, and combs Kylo's messy hair with his fingers, "One more week in paradise sounds nice."

"So you agree to stay here with me?" he hears a smile in Kylo voice even without opening his eyes. "Say yes."

"I have one condition."'

"You know you can ask for anything."

"No more surprise trips," says Hux, then he adds, "No, Kylo, it was wonderful but I want to spend time here. With you."

He feels Kylo nodding. Then he feels him moving and hears his chewing.

"That's actually quite convenient. We can close that situation before leaving," he says hoping that Kylo will guess what he's talking about without saying.

"What, babe?" Kylo is adorable talking with his mouth full. It should disgust Hux, but it really doesn't.

"Our divorce certificate," Kylo looks surprised, so Hux clarified. "Remember we got married, hubby, "Hux tries to joke because if he doesn't there is a high chance he will cry, "You went there to get a divorce, so you should know the details."

“I do remember our wedding. I told you that.”

It’s a perfect opening to ask if they can continue to have this, something, maybe, occasionally if Kylo wants. But he doesn’t have guts for that. The logical part of him screams that Kylo enjoys it as much as he does, but his emotional, self-conscious parts keep telling him that Kylo is with him only because they are locked in the small apartment far from home and Hux is available.

“So yeah. What should we do with it.”

“In six days, next Friday, we need to go to the town hall, sign all the papers. After that, we are divorced, but all the docs will be ready in another month.”

_ Say something. Say something. Say something. Joke. Create an excuse. Ask him on a date. Something. Anything. _

“Thank you for dealing with it, hubby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW:  
> Mild age play, you blink and you miss it.  
> Hux tops Kylo. I mention it only because I know that not everyone is comfortable with that. Kylo is switch—I can take everything ;)— in this AU.
> 
> * * *
> 
> I added one more chapter, because, aparently math isn't my strong suit. It's 8 weeks, one week = one chapter + prologue => 9 chapters.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Your comments/kudos are always welcomed and appreciated!
> 
> Thanks to [@spiteandmalice ](https://twitter.com/spiteandmalice) for turning my writing into undestandacle and coherent text!
> 
> This fic is a rework of my twitter-fic inspired by a prompt from [Fru Hallbera ](https://twitter.com/FHallbera) "kylux, fluff, business trip and accidental marriage"
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://mysticmilks.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/mystic_milks) don't hesitate to ask me anything  
> And now I have [curiousCat](https://curiouscat.me/mystic_milks) where you can ask me anonymously
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you like this one, you can check my other fics:  
> finished -[drop the curtain, blow out the candles ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17462159)  
> wip -[you are burned up before you know it ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17705078)  
> and finished, moder-au [Up All Night ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18018218/)


	9. Week eight

When they arrived in Crait almost two months ago, Hux suspected that they’d died. He suspected that the excruciatingly long and arduous road was purgatory. He was sure that their time on this business trip was going to be either figurative or literal—quite possible if he had died—hell.

Now, waking up in the morning besides the man of his dreams, Hux can't get rid of an annoying though that he did die, not noticed that, and got into paradise. His personal heaven. He didn’t deserve it — people like him don't get into heaven. He didn’t deserve Kylo — an alive Greek statue with a mind of an evil genius, the sex drive of an erotic novel hero and the weird taste of overgrown nerd. But by an inexplicable twist of fate, Hux got a chance to enjoy all these, even if only for the briefest period of time.

Their last week together is lovely. Hux has never used lovely to describe his dating with anyone before. And in this case it's not even real dating, Hux constantly reminds himself. But lovely is the only word that emerges in his head when Phasma asks how he's doing.

They have a lot of sex. And a lot of cuddling. Lots of talking. They watch silly, geeky, comic-based movies together, discuss cats and dogs — Kylo finds cats independent and haughty, and Hux says that he adores felines for that. They create proposals for the next quarter, eating take-out noodles on the big comfy sofa. Any work-related arguments that they previously had are now more enjoyable. Who could have guessed that making Kylo Ren angry would lead to the best rimming in Hux's life?

Being Kylo's fake husband is so perfect it hurts. Hux doesn't believe in soulmates, but if he did Kylo's definitely would be the one.

It's not about sex or appearance or his perfect smile, or ...it's all about Kylo.

Waking up at the first flush of the morning isn't easy for Hux. Leaving a warm and cozy bed with lightly snoring Kylo in it is even harder. Hux makes himself to do that anyway, throwing back the light blanket and crawling out to the fresh morning air. They have only four more days left together and Hux wants to make breakfast in bed for his fake husband. Kylo spoiled him for weeks with luxurious surprises and small gestures and now it's Hux's time to repay. He really wants to do something nice for this perfect man while he can.

Hux sneaks out from the apartment to buy everything he needs. Thankfully, there is a 24h store right next to their building.

The real problem is that he's an objectively bad cook. Phasma blackmailed him to promise never to consider cooking his new hobby, after the last time he tried to make something more complicated than a frozen pizza or sandwiches—it was fried chicken and it was around three years ago. She tried one bite and claimed that Hux was trying to poison her.

For today Hux found an easy recipe. It's eggs in the basket with fried bacon and fresh tomatoes. As easy as it can be, promised to him by a smiley hostess of youtube channel "Cooking for bachelors". There is nothing that Hux can ruin.

Twenty minutes into cooking and all kitchen surfaces look like Hux was cooking a three-course dinner for the whole family when Millicent jumped onto the table, turned over all the seasonings, dropped tomatoes. The wooden counter is soiled with eggs. The stove is covered in drops of oil. Supplies are everywhere — even amid pot plans on the window sill.While Hux is cleaning the mess he made, he forgets about the pan. Now to all the disorder is added smoke. Hux spurts to open windows before the fire alarm reacts. Not an easy task when he needs to move everything from the sill, including the stupid plants first.

“First, I thought you were kidnapped," Kylo’s smug voice startles him, "Then — that the kitchen was on fire.”

Hux turns with damned succulents in his hands and sees Ren leaning against the doorframe of their bedroom only in his grey T-shirt, barefoot, with half-hard cock between his legs.

“Go back to bed,” Hux commands, ignoring his words, “It’s a surprise. You are ruining it!”

"Surprise?" Kylo's smile grows wider.

Hux turns back to the stove, putting plants down and showing him that he's serious. Disregarding Kylo, he throws the burned food in the garbage, and takes everything from a package for "attempt #2”. Hux wouldn’t be Lead Architect if he wasn’t always prepared for horrible failures.

Hux is starting to cut bacon when he feels cautious hands on his middle. Obviously, this impudent brute of a fake husband didn't listen to Hux's direct order.

“What surprise can be better than finding you wearing this in our kitchen?” says Kylo, playing with the hem of Hux’s short robe.

Kylo presses closer to Hux's back, pushing him into the counter with his whole body. His hands slide up, squeezing Hux's sides, implying just enough pressure to distract him from cooking. Kylo's lips leave small kisses on his neck. His fingers are slipping inside Hux's silk robe, playing with his nipple, tw\eaking it, while his other hand strokes Hux's hip.

“Finding a nice breakfast in our bed?” Hux holds back a moan. He tries to be cheeky, and pretend that he isn't affected. It’s not that easy, when his robe is open, and all he wants is to forget about ruined breakfast and enjoy Kylo's touching.

“I’m not hungry for food, babe,” Kylo's voice is low and it goes right to Hux's cock.

“Really?” Hux bites his lip, turns his head to the side, exposing his neck for more kisses.

“Really," Kylo gets the hint—he always does—sucking under his ear, "I’m going to eat your ass instead.” 

“I won’t stop cooking,” Hux groans not able to control himself anymore.

“We’ll see,” Kylo slowly drops to his knees behind him, pawing Hux in the process. He pulls up Hux's robe revealing his bare ass.

Hux arches to meet his touch, feeling small kisses on his ass and nuzzling on his inner thighs. Kylo's hands massage his legs. Hux moans loudly, porny.

"I need to be a good husband for my man," replies Hux, finding the brash response, between sharp inhales. He doesn't know why he said that. In his head, it sounded witty, but with his ragged voice and with Kylo nipping on his ass checks it turned out submissive.

“Babe, turn the stove off,” Kylo slurs. He licks Hux’s entrance. It’s loose from fucking the night before. "We don't need firemen here, don't we?"

Doing as Kylo said is all Hux has the brain capacity for. Kylo learned how to meet the demands of his body, and Hux’s body cherishes his touches. Hux’s mind has nothing else to do other than turn into strawberry souffle with a single purpose — getting more of Kylo’s touches. Now!

“Lube?” Kylo's hot breath tickles his delicate inner thigh skin.

“Top drawer," Hux replies, wiggling his ass, "Condoms are near.”

“What are they doing there, hm?” Kylo leaves one last bite on his ass, before pulling back. Hux hears rattling in the drawer then opening of a plastic bottle.

“Nothing.” Obviously Hux is prepared. He didn't put on his newly bought sexy black robe just to be comfy while cooking. 

“My precious prepared babe,” Kylo easily inserts one finger in him, dragging a low cry from Hux, “My perfect househusband.”

Kylo keeps cooing praises into Hux’s ears, holding him around his chest and moving from the cluttered counter to the dining table. He bends Hux over it, spreading Hux’s legs with his feet.

“Being a good husband for your man," he repeats with a thoughtful voice. As if he is considering it. "Would you meet me, my dear little husband, with prepared dinner and a glass of martini, wearing this fine flimsy robe and no underwear each evening when I'm back from work?”

Hux’s mouth is dry. He can only whine, thrusting back on his two fingers. Kylo fucked him so often for the last few days that Hux almost doesn’t need opening before he can take his cock. But it would be crazy to rush such a pleasant preparation.

“Answer your husband,” Kylo growls low in his ear, making a long wet stripe on Hux’s neck with his tongue, simultaneously curling his fingers. Hux shudders with all of his body.

“Yes,” he breathes out, nodding and touching the wooden surface with his cheek.

“Oh, you will,” Hux doesn’t need to turn back to know that Kylo is grinning. “Would you crawl under the table and keep my dick warm, while I’m eating and drinking? Would you patiently wait when I’m ready to use you?”

“Yes,” Hux whimpers, almost sobbing. His toes are curling on the cold tiles. He feels Kylo’s dick teasing at his entrance, not pushing inside.

“Would you keep yourself always open for me? So I can fuck your little slick hole whenever I want, eh, hubby?” Kylo reaches down and grasps his cock.

“Yes, Kylo,” Hux lets out a wanton cry, “yes!” 

Hux’s breath hitched, when Kylo enters him, pushing to the root in one hard thrust. Then he cries out. 

Hux keeps yelling yes to every filthy question, as Kylo kept pounding into him, repeating over and over again, that Hux is going to be such a good, obedient husband for him.

Kylo’s hand is on his cock. Kylo’s fingers are tangled in Hux's hair. Kylo’s body pressing him into the table. Kylo's sweat is dripping on his exposed skin, Kylo’s cock mercilessly fucks him.

_Kylo._

Hux understands that it’s his own voice screaming Kylo like a mantra. Like a prayer. Like the only word that still has meaning. Hux's vision whites out and he comes continuing to mumble the name during his orgasm. 

Kylo is still fucking him in shallow thrusts not slowing down.

“Hux, I...” instead of the next word Kylo digs his teeth into Hux's shoulder, and then he comes. Kylo's cock is pulsing inside of him, making him shiver from near overstimulation.

Kylo collapses onto him, pinning down to the table. They are breathing heavily. Hux's body is limp. He doesn't have the strength to move, doesn't have words and doesn't have thoughts. His mind is blissfully empty.

He doesn't quite comprehend what is going on when Kylo's weight disappears from his back, and then gentle hands are guiding him to the bathroom. Kylo brings him to the shower, cleaning or more precisely worshiping Hux’s body, massaging his muscles and leaving trails of light kisses on his wet skin in the small glass cubicle.

After they are clean, wear fluffy bathrobes, and smell of lemongrass soap, Kylo helps him with eggs in the baskets. Okay, Kylo does most of the job. All that is left to Hux is to lean on the tabletop, where he was thoroughly fucked a half an hour ago and watching in awe how Kylo's gorgeous hands with strong fingers and prominent veins are moving when he’s slicing meat, cutting neat holes in bread and breaking eggs. The mouth-watering smell of fried bacon fills the kitchen. Hux’s stomach growls — he hasn’t even noticed how hungry he is.

When Hux argued—not very convincingly— that he is supposed to be the chef here, Kylo promises to teach him basic skills of cooking without burning down the apartment someday. Hux’s business instincts demand to set up a concrete date, but he doesn’t want to stretch his luck for today. He's scared to ruin it. Scared again. Even though they only have a handful of days left together.

They are resting on the couch after finishing with breakfast. Full, sated, they put pillows under their backs, intertwine their legs and watch silly cat videos online. How else can Hux call it other than his personal heaven?

He remembers that they will get their divorce certificate after they fly back, as Kylo told him almost a week ago. But the day after tomorrow in the afternoon, they will dress up, hail a taxi, drive to the city hall and sign that stupid divorce form. And all this will be over.

The question is on the tip of Hux's tongue nagging him for the last couple of days. Or if he's more honest with himself, for the last couple of weeks. He was afraid—as always because he is a coward who doesn't deserve nice things— to ask it, but their time as husbands is running out.

Hux counts to five, inhales like before diving into cold water and blurs out, “What’s happened during that night?” he squeezes his eyes shut and adds, “The night we got married?”

“What happened in the ‘Freedom Island’ stays on ‘Freedom Island’,” mutters Kylo in his shoulder. He sounds like he is half-asleep. Only his hand keeps petting Hux's belly above his bath-robe.

“The remnants of our marriage travels with us to the US until the documents arrive, doesn't it? So it's clearly doesn't stay there,” Hux teases, making his voice sound light and nonchalant “Kylo, I want to know.”

“Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders,” Kylo yawns, hugging him closer. Hux starts to suspect that all this drowsy look is just an act.

“Don't Nietzsche me. I want to know. I’m ready. Please,” Hux asks and turns his head to look Kylo in the eyes. Kylo’s hand stops. As expected, Hux spoiled the moment.

“Okay. We separated from the group and started doing shots of tequila." Hux's partially remembers that part. "You took a lime wedge in your mouth. We started to kiss,” Kylo tells heavily breathing in Hux’s neck. His voice is barely audible, “Then I—I’m not quite sure. I was also drunk, you know. I think, I pinched your ass, or touched you in some way. That made you push me away. But not hard. I thought you were playing. You said, 'If you like it you should put a ring on it'," Kylo says the last sentence in a sassy tone. Hux is sure he doesn't sound like that. Never. At least when he’s sober.

"You said that you're not like that, and I can’t use you and throw you away. I don’t know—you gave a whole speech. We ended up outside. There was this chapel-thing with a lot of shiny signs nearby. We kinda dared each other to do it. Again, I was drunk, it’s all muddled. We got married. I did pinch your ass after that," he chuckles. "Definitely. Totally worth it, I said.”

“And?” It doesn’t sound bad so far. Kissing that he remembered was with Kylo, that’s good.

“And we caught a cab. When we arrived here, we dashed straight to my bed where we started to undress. We kissed. Then you babbled that it doesn’t change anything. You kept repeating it. Over and over. Like a broken Android. Somehow at that moment, I realized how wasted you were.”

“You said that we still wouldn't be friends. That this night wouldn't change our work relationships. And that fucking didn’t mean that you are my—” Kylo pauses squeezes Hux's side, releases it and loudly exhales, “—that you submit to me. I tried to talk to you but you weren’t particularly responsive. I didn't know what to do. My brain was marinated in alcohol and hormones. I asked if you needed water. And you agreed. Very enthusiastically actually. You nodded and almost fell from the bed," Hux feels that his cheeks become hot, "When I stumbled to the kitchen you yelled that you were going to throw up. I dashed for something for you. Found a basin. But when I came back seconds after, you were sleeping and snoring. I took a bottle of beer from the minibar, drank it, and also went to sleep. The end.”

“Oh, no, luv, you must have thought I’m an imbecile,” Hux hides his face in his hands.

“No," Kylo places a kiss on his wrist, "I thought that you were drunk, and weren’t responsible for your actions. And that you clearly didn’t want me.”

“I did. I do. Very much.”

“I just... I didn’t want to hurt you, Hux. But I also—," his voice is quiet. Hux needs to make an effort to hear him, even though Kylo is inches away. "I liked you. Or maybe I had a crush on you," now he is louder, "I didn’t want to be hurt too.”

“I won’t," Hux says it putting his hands down and looking at Kylo's open face, "I mean, I will try really hard not to.”

“Just talk to me, Hux. Communication is the key. All that shit,” he chuckles, kisses Hux's knuckles and moves his lips along Hux' finger, lightly sucking on it.

“Can we continue when we are back?” Hux breather out, unexpectedly finding courage.

“What?”

“Not like this, of course," Hux says quickly, not wanting to spook Kylo away, "That’d be stupid. But the low-key thing. Casual thing. Simple. We live nearby anyway.” _What? That’s just stupid._

“Yeah," Kylo replies after a pause with an obviously fake smile, "Why not?”

* * *

Two days until their flight back home. Five hours until their signing of divorce papers. Hux feels better now, knowing that it won't be the end. Not fully. Kylo agreed to continue their relationship. Not particularly enthusiastically. Not even their relationships but their casual fucking, Hux will take it. He is a masochist. He is an idiot. When it's over it will hurt like ripping off a thousand band-aids. He knows that. He doesn't care. It's a future Hux problem — a thousand problems to be precise.

The only problem present Hux has is a lack of swimming shorts. Kylo wants to go to the beach, and, for the public beach, they need these stupid shorts. They've already checked in the washing machine, in the drawer, in the bathroom, where Kylo started to kiss him, pinning him to the wall and whispering filth in his ear. They had to split. That’s the only chance to find shorts without making out and forgetting about the sea.

Hux volunteered for inspecting their bedroom — the room where he slept weeks ago is free now. He moved all of his belongings to Kylo's. It's convenient. Kylo didn’t bring much to Crait and Hux spends all his time there anyway.

"Can I look in your part of the closet?" he shouted to Kylo.

The voice from the living room sounds affirmatively over an old rock ballad. Hux opens Kylo's drawer, humming to it. He should have thought about that earlier. Kylo just shoved Hux's swim shorts with his things after washing, Hux reflects, rummaging through Kylo's underwear and t-shirts laying there haphazardly.

How one person can have so little stuff and so much mess? He must show Kylo this documentary about a Japanese lady obsessed with order, he notes, digging deeper. His hand palms something firm and smooth near the back wall and he pulls it to his face without thinking.

He's holding a small dark wooden bow with metal lines on it. It looks like a box for jewelry. Like a box for...

His hands are trembling. His thoughts are muddled. His curiosity is weeping. Hux knows it's not right. It's a violation of privacy. He surrenders and opens the box.

Then he ceases to think at all.

Because there are two identical rings in it: one a bit bigger and wider than another.

Hux isn't an expert in jewelry but they look like real things. Matte dark-grey metal — stylish, subtle and noble. The word titanium appears in Hux's head when he stares at two bands. The complete opposite of a cheap piece of gold-colored plastic he saw on his finger almost two months ago.

“Hux, I found them," he hears Kylo's voice at the exact second the door starts to open, "Your shorts were under the pillow on the sofa. And who is a slob now?”

Hux immediately remembers the night before. Right, they were that horny that they barely made their way to the apartment, starting to kiss in the lift, undress in the hall and ended up sucking each other off on the sofa.

There is no time to hide the ring box. Hux freezes in front of the closet, turning to face Kylo, with the box in his hand.

Kylo's eyes, searching down from Hux's surprised face, spot the box. He stops at the door, hugging Hux’s shorts to his chest. At first, nothing happens. Then Hux sees how Kylo's expression changes like in slow motion. His warm smile disappears giving its place to a pout. His brows raise, eyes become wider. Then he gazes at Hux's face, notices something in it and seems to attempt to summon a neutral expression.

Then Kylo blurts out, “It’s not what it looks, Hux!” which makes the whole scene exponentially worse.

“Yes, of course. You don't need to say anything,” Hux desperately striving not to sound offended. "I shouldn’t snoop there anyway. I'm sorry."

 _Just agree with everything,_ screams Hux's brain. _If it was for you he’d say it. Why’d it been for you? You aren’t even dating. Why did you think that it was for you? Stupid idiot! You ruined it. You ruined everything._

It's getting harder to keep his face emotionless. He needs to come up with a reason to leave this room, this apartment, this city. He can't cry in front of Kylo. He can't let Kylo see how pathetic he truly is.

While his mind occupied with self-hated and coming up with a get-out plan, Kylo comes closer and places Hux's shorts on the shelf in the open closet.

“Hey, babe,” he says, then puts his hand on Hux's chin, lightly pulling it up, “Look at me. I’m sorry. I’m just an idiot. I didn't mean for you to find it. I swear. Please, don’t freak out.”

Hux nods and bites his cheek, begging tears not to form in his eyes. Of course, Kylo thinks about him as of weakling who'd freak out. Like Hux always does. Like that time when they woke in that room after Freedom Island party. Or the day of the big presentation. Of course, Kylo has someone else in the US. Someone who deserves to be with him. Someone who deserves a nice ring. That's explains everything — Hux was the last game before the big commitment.

“Hux, look at me, please,” demands the deep trembling voice.

"Please, believe me,” begs kylo. His eyes for some reason are also wet, “I got carried away. We were in Dubrovnik. And it felt so," Kylo curses under his breath, "real. And I thought, hey, maybe Hux felt the same. It was an impulsive purchase. But I know it's creepy and stupid and I'm sorry. And you don't feel that way. I know that! I agreed to a casual thing. I promise I will keep it casual."

"You wanted to propose?" Hux asks when Kylo stops speaking. He honestly can’t believe what he’s hearing. That can't be real. “To me?” 

"No!" Kylo exclaims, then curses again and slowly exhales staring at Hux, "Yes. I mean... legally we are still...it doesn't matter. You want to divorce. And it's okay. You are right. It was a crazy idea. I'm crazy. I've just never felt that way about anyone. Never. I love you," he finishes the phrase very quietly. "I’m not trying to manipulate you. I swear. I did want you even before that, but now... It's stupid. But I want you to know. I'm tired to pretend that I'm not."

Hux drops on the bed. And he is, honest to god, crying. He's crying in front of another human being for the first time in years. Real tears are falling down his cheeks. He wants to say everything to Kylo, but when he opens his mouth weird sob-laugh escapes his throat.

“Babe, Hux, please don’t," Kylo sounds anxious. His hands hug Hux's shoulders. Hux is leaning to his warmth. "What should I do? Should I leave? Tell me something.”

Hux moves closer and puts his head on Kylo’s chest.

“Ask me,” he sobs.

“What, Hux?” Kylo mutters kissing his hair.

“Ask me,” he waves the box that is in his hand, “Ask me you crazy gorgeous hunk. Please.”

“Will you marry me? Stay my husband? Not divorce me?” Kylo exhales questions in quick succession.

“Yes,” Hux keeps sobbing, hugging Kylo with even more strength, “ Yes I will! I love you so much.”

“May I?” asks Kylo, delicately taking the box from Hux after he nods. Maybe for the first time, Hux sees Kylo-I-can-take-whatever-I-want, Kylo Senior Manager, Kylo the Perfect Negotiator that nervous and vulnerable.

Hux smiles, whispering yes and giving his husband his hand. He knows if he opens his mouth he'll either sob or laugh hysterically ruining the moment. Kylo smiles too. His usual confident self is seen in him. He puts a ring on Hux's finger it fits perfectly. Hux looks at his hand and does sob. He has never imagined this moment to be like that. Not with a man he never even dated, wearing only blue polo and underwear, when he is wearing his swimming shorts, a silly wrinkled “Wine gets better with age. I get better with wine” t-shirt and a messy bun. Not like this at all. But with Kylo it surpasses all his dreams.

Hux takes a grip on himself, takes the box and takes the only ring left in it.

"I love you so much," he says again and puts the ring on Kylo’s finger.

He drops the box, fists that silly shirt and drags the man of his dreams—his husband!—closer. He finds Kylo lips and somehow kissing him is even better than before. He pushes Kylo to fall on the bed and crawls on top of him, not stopping to make out even for a second.

“I love you too!” Kylo whispers when they disconnect, placing small kisses on Hux's jaw and intertwining his fingers in Hux's hair, “I love you, Hux! I want it all to be real! I want it to work!”

“I know, luv. I want that too,” moans Hux, while his hands are pulling Kylo's shirt so Hux can paw all his gorgeous chest.

Kylo retaliates with sliding his hands under Hux’s waistband, groping his ass and blurting out about everything he loves about Hux, which is apparently everything, and how endearingly hard was being around him and stopping himself every time.

Kylo arches, laughs loudly squeezes Hux's ass, "This is mine now," he giggles, sliding his hands down, "And that too. All of you!"

"How possessive," Hux can't suppress a giggle too. He's drunk with happiness, "In that case, all this is mine!" He palms Kylo's crotch.

"Deal!" Kylo tries to take off Hux's shorts, but that's not easy when Hux grinds on Kylo, and they both are in a playful mood.

When Hux is finally naked, the lube is retrieved from the nightstand, and Kylo is fingering him open, Hux can stop moaning his name, moaning how much he loves Kylo and how happy he is with him.

“I thought I’d explode from want,” he says when Hux reaches for his cock unzipping him, “I thought you didn’t want me or didn’t want me like that.”

“We were idiots!” agrees Hux.

Their gazes lock. They keep mumbling how much they love each other. Hux rides Kylo until he comes screaming that he loves his husband. Cheesy. But who cares. Definitely not Hux’s pre-orgasm brain, while Kylo is pumping his dick. All he’s able to groan is “please”.

It might be a cliche, but "he said yes"-sex if the best they ever had so far. In the end, they both are in tears, lying in the messy made-up bed, all plans for today forgotten or irrelevant.

The last two days they spend in each other arms—even more than before—berating their dumb selves for not having an honest conversation about their feelings before. If they weren't scared idiots with communication issues they could have a real honeymoon instead of questioning each and every decision. But if they weren't scared idiots they wouldn't have been themselves. And, as Kylo says, if you aren't scared it isn't real.

A nonchalantly veiled question to Rose reveals that most of their Craitian co-workers hypothesized and the rest was sure that their bosses from overseas were a couple.

"But I didn't tell them about your marriage. Your secret is safe with me," she says to Kylo during a call. Hux, who is overhearing it, is hiding his face to the sofa pillow to cover his blushing, while Kylo is trying to suspend his laughter.

"I didn't think she might have seen us," he claims to Hux afterward.

But Hux doesn't care — he is so happy, he could change his relationship status in social networks. He won't do that, but he could.

The only thing that disrupts their vanilla light moods is the discussions about where they are going to live after returning back. Hux's apartment is closer to the office and Millie likes it, but Ren’s is fancier, and he owns it. But at least they started to talk. And for them, it's already a major victory.

Everything is great. Everything is perfect. Nothing can ruin Hux’s day. They are on the plane. Hux is organizing all his travel necessities, preparing to sleep, when Kylo leans to him, places a chaste kiss on his ear and whispers, "Don't freak out, babe, but we'll need to organize a wedding and meet with my family."

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments/kudos are always welcomed and appreciated!
> 
> Many thanks to [@spiteandmalice ](https://twitter.com/spiteandmalice) for turning my writing into undestandacle and coherent text!
> 
> This fic is a rework of my twitter-fic inspired by a prompt from [Fru Hallbera ](https://twitter.com/FHallbera) "kylux, fluff, business trip and accidental marriage"
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://mysticmilks.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/mystic_milks) don't hesitate to ask me anything  
> And now I have [curiousCat](https://curiouscat.me/mystic_milks) where you can ask me anonymously
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you like this one, you can check my other fics:  
> fantasy aranged marriage au[drop the curtain, blow out the candles ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17462159)  
> post-tjl [you are burned up before you know it ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17705078)  
> moder-au [Up All Night](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18018218/)


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